I am sorry to hear that you abandoned your visit to our mountain areas. Auto parts stores and major department stores like WalMart sell cheap, plastic chains that only cost a few dollars. Many people just put them in the trunk to comply with the requirement and discard them afterward. Even if you chose to avoid carrying chains, you would never be subject to any kind of enforcement unless you got stuck and needed to call for help or ran across a chain checkpoint where you could simply turn around before being inspected. They do not just randomly stop cars to check for chains.

The roads into Yosemite Valley have all been open and clear with no restrictions all week. Also, I was just up SR 168 on Monday and saw no snow until just below Shaver Lake and no need for chains. Yesterday, I went up above Pine Flat Lake (east of Clovis/Fresno) to photograph wildflowers. It was quite beautiful. I didn't even see snow on the hills above the road all the way to roads end.

Again, I'm sorry you will miss our beautiful mountains.

Turlock is just a small town on Highway 99 south of Sacramento. Their mountain roads are out of my area so I cannot comment.