SIERRA CITY — In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, January 11, four eager kids stood atop Church Street in Sierra City. They craned their necks to see up Highway 49 and their first glimpse of salvation — the triumphant return of the Sierra City school bus. And then, at precisely 7:19 a.m. — right on time — it arrived. Driver extraordinaire Chris Strine cranked the door open and welcomed all aboard. The bus had been a long time coming. Nine long months without a school bus was a real hardship for the town, not just for the parents who organized carpools and took time off work to make the twelve-mile journey back and forth to Downieville. Not just for the kids — who were compelled to spend more time with their parents and suffer endless nagging about homework and the relentless torture of dad jokes. It was also rough on the town as a whole — especially for employers forced to cover for workers reluctantly pursuing side gigs as Uber Moms. But in the wintery mountain dawn, the Sierra City school bus spread its yellow and black wings, swooped into town, and vanquished all that hardship. By the time it made its fourth and final stop at Fournier Ranch, the bus was full. No seat left without a behind. The bus was chomping at the bit, eager to prove its worth. It’s a 2010 Thomas with a 6.6-liter turbo diesel engine to get the job done and hydraulic breaks to do it safely. It was up to Strine, hands firmly on the reins, to harness all that power. As he pulled away from Sierra Pines Resort, he put the Thomas through its paces, steering smoothly and safely down the river canyon. “Best day ever,” said Strine. Nineteen minutes later, like Moses in flip-flops, he ferried his flock across the Downie River and into town. He — and the bus — brought what the school needed: nearly half of its enrollment, right on time and in one piece. For Sierra City, he brought what they prayed for: deliverance.
School bus picks up students in Sierra City
Hardest part? The waiting.
Downieville bound