A Stormy Start

Whenever I’ve watched one of those movies where a series of silly and exaggerated events takes place over just one night, I always have to point out that, “yeah, that stuff just doesn’t happen in real life.”  But, I’m here to admit that I was wrong.  In fact, my year started out with one wild overnight Adventures in Babysitting-esque adventure.  Let me start from the beginning.

Our New Year’s Eve was a quiet and slightly snowy one.  We met up with some of our friends at their family cabin on Bowen Island.  To give you an idea, Bowen is a small island, just a 20 minute ferry ride from West Vancouver.  There’s really just one main road, one main street with shops and a very West Coast island feel.  If you’d like, you can watch my Bowen VLOG to get a better sense (note in the video how outrageously tall all of the trees are).  A real sign of the times (#thisis30), we were there with our friends Tessa and AJ, who have a 5 month old, Pia and Jim, who are expecting their first any day now, their friends who have a 9 month old, and then us with our pup.  We rang in 2017 in our pjs with Cards Against Humanity while the babies slept, laughing at how much life has changed.  Our running hypothetical scenario was about pregnant Pia going into labour on NYE while we were isolated on the island.  A very probable scenario, we compared possible solutions, like doctors and midwives on the island, or a helicopter lift to the hospital.  We all eased Pia and her husband Jim’s worries with these options, assuring them that her water likely wasn’t going to break anytime soon.

The next morning, I was woken up by Reg launching himself onto the bed and attacking my face with snuggles, as he and Adam returned from their morning walk.  “It’s really windy out there today,” Adam pointed out, as I desperately tried to fend off our hyper dog.  I hopped out of bed enthusiastically at the notion of a large pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen and followed my boys downstairs.  The cooing of our youngest house mates echoed throughout the recently renovated open concept living area.  The gorgeous oversized floor to ceiling wall of windows showed off that delicious winter morning light, covering the nearby Sunshine Coast in an almost reflective golden light.  I grabbed my camera and decided to step outside, hoping to capture the stunning view for the gram.  I’d barely turned the door handle, when it went flying open, nearly blowing me and the door away.  I hesitated, thinking that maybe without shoes or a coat on, being outside in this wind wasn’t the best idea, but of course decided to just be quick.  When I stepped back in, Adam turned to me and said, “Reggie won’t eat his breakfast.  I wonder if he’s not feeling well.”  I looked down at that scruffy little pup and pointlessly asked him what was wrong.  You could hear his stomach gurgling and we chalked it up to be a sore tummy.

Everyone had a leisurely morning, and we started making breakfast around 10.  Someone pointed out that since it was a holiday, the ferry times were noon and 3:10 pm and we all agreed that the later one was our best bet since we were mid cooking and still had to tidy the cabin.  Reggie kept pacing around, stopping in the oddest spots to stand super straight, tail between his legs, then he’d lay down somewhere, only to become restless again.  “Maybe something bad is going to happen,” AJ declared, “dogs know these things.  People say that their dogs act strange before earthquakes and stuff.” We all looked at each other and agreed, but shrugged it off, saying that he probably just ate something weird.

As we were cleaning the place, I was overcome with anxiety, and noticed that Adam was as well.  We just couldn’t figure out why we were so nervous about catching the 3:10 ferry home and decided together that we should leave extra early to ensure we got on the boat.  We loaded our vehicle, helped tidy around, and then awkwardly left in a hurry before our friends had loaded their kids into the cars.  Our drive to the ferry terminal from the cabin is always a winding one, but there were tons of extra obstacles on this particular afternoon.  We had to go extra slow to swerve and avoid oversized branches and other debris that littered the road, as the huge trees exaggeratedly swayed from side to side above us.

Arriving at the ferry in Snug Cove, we accidentally took a spot in line that normally is blocked off because it’s right in front of the General Store.  We hadn’t noticed this thanks to ice/snow covering the markings on the road, but we made sure to leave a gap for cars to enter/exit the parking lot beside us.  We decided it didn’t matter anyway, as the General Store was closed for New Year’s Day.  Adam and I watched cars turn into the lot and then swiftly turn back around when they realized the grocer was closed.  “That sucks,” I said to Adam, “Imagine not having any food on this island and your only grocery store is closed.” We continued to pass the time by watching the wind whip ice/snow around, pedestrians slipping and sliding on the sidewalk, and browsing our phones.  Adam walked down to the coffee shop and got a tea and a cookie and we decided that we’d have pizza or sushi for dinner and watch the Tottenham game (well, he watches that, I do work).  Being on a hill, we watched the ferry dock in Snug Cove and the cars exit.  I looked down at the traffic light in front of the first car in line, waiting for it to turn green so we could board.  “I won’t feel settled until we’re on that ferry,” I declared to Adam, excited for a relaxing evening at home.  But, 3 o’clock passed, and then 3:05, and 3:10, and 3:15, and no one had moved.  Our group started texting with concern about the ferry not loading.  Then someone found this:

Which, was a bit crazy since I’d specifically checked the weather earlier in the day about any wind warnings.  Since there wasn’t one, I assumed it was just a blustery morning that would burn off later on.  We huddled and decided to wait it out until the next scheduled ferry at 4:15.  If that one didn’t leave, we’d source some grub and head back to the cabin to wait it out.  As we sat in our cars, now absolutely freezing cold, people in the ferry lineup started chatting.  I kept checking BC Ferries for any updates, but they hadn’t posted anything.  Some people walked up the hill and told us that they’d heard the ferry was cancelled indefinitely.  Then, another guy on a vintage bike with sidecar, rode up to us and told us that the winds were 90km/hr and the ferry likely wouldn’t run tonight.  It was now 4:15, so we activated plan b and met the other cars at an healthy food shop up the road.  Adam stayed in the car with Reggie while I carefully made my way up to the store, trying not to blow away or slip on ice.  The winds were so intense that I screamed every time there was a strong gust.  I arrived at the entrance of the store, only to find a locked door.  I peered inside the shop and saw our friends browsing the aisles, as a mob of us outside began to form.  Banging on the door, we asked to be let in and the cashier turned to us and pointed to the holiday hours sign. “But the ferry isn’t running and the general store is closed!” one man yelled, as she shrugged and turned back around.  I went back to the car and relayed everything to Adam, expressing my relief that our friends had somehow made it inside to purchase food, so we’d be able to eat dinner.

Our three vehicles then set off on that winding road back to the cabin, which is extra annoying because the babies aren’t very happy in the car, and neither is our fur baby Reg.  We had no choice though, and once again navigated around all the pieces of trees that covered the road.  Truthfully, my anxiety continued throughout the drive, as I was scared of large debris falling on us.  My fears were justified, when we were about a 5 minute drive from the cabin and ran into a large fallen tree completely blocking the road.  A man was parking his car a few yards back and walking towards us.  He said he worked in forestry and that if we were going to park our cars and walk to our destination, that it was no good to leave vehicles in front of the green trees.  He pointed back to his car and said the other trees were a much safer bet, and then continued his journey toward his home.  We huddled together again and considered walking, but decided  that in this weather with little ones, we had no choice but to turn around, drive back to Snug Cove and call the non emergency line to report the fallen tree.  We figured that the warm pub would be a good place to wait it out.  Halfway through the sketchy drive back to Snug Cove, I turned around just in time to witness Reggie puking.  The cherry on top of this gong show of an evening.

Adam and I sat in our car outside of the packed pub.  Though our friends had brought their small kids in, we figured a dog in a bar was a bit different.  Stress levels had been high, so I welcomed this reprieve from the back and forth chaos we’d so far endured.  My feet were so cold that I opted to take my snow boots off and wrap my feet up in a scarf and I turned my phone on airplane mode to save battery.  Just as Adam and I had settled into a conversation about the past year, everything went dark.  There’s power outages, and then there’s a power outage on a heavily forested island.  It was absolutely pitch black.  The only thing in sight was the dim glow of an emergency light that remained lit inside the pub.  Electricity was restored a few minutes later and Tessa convinced us to sneak the dog into so we could all warm up and have a drink.  We hid Reggie in the back corner and the pub workers pretended not to notice him huddle under the table in a festive sweater.

With no other way to know if the tree had been cleared, someone suggested that a few people do the drive to the cabin first.  Then, they could report back about whether the road was clear and if the cabin even had power.  If so, they’d be able to turn on heat in advance and get things set up.  At first, Tessa and pregnant Pia were going to with 5 month old Paige, but then Adam decided that wasn’t the best and idea and volunteered himself to drive.  Pia’s husband Jim offered to join him and I stayed at the pub with Reggie and the group.  I didn’t love the idea of being separated from Adam, but we needed to sort out shelter for the kids and Pia.  Exhausted, I tried to keep Reggie calm, as the babies ate and the adults had beers.  I overheard some people at the bar discussing how they’d never seen anything like this in all their years living on Bowen.  Adam and Jim called us 20 minutes later with the incredibly good news that the tree had already been cleared and that hurrah, the cabin even had power!  We quickly settled the bill and loaded into the remaining two cars.

Pia was driving myself, Reggie, Tessa, AJ, and their little one, Paige, as we carefully made our way down this road for the 4th time in the last few hours.  We were only a few minutes down the main road, when our friends in front stopped abruptly.  A man with a flashlight approached their car and then made his way over to us.  We rolled the window, “there’s a large fallen tree just around the corner, but the fire truck is there and they’re actively clearing it.” he told us.  We threw on the hazard lights and let out a collective sigh as we waited for a path to be cleared.  Idling in a powerful windstorm is incredibly scary, as you feel like you can’t trust that a tall tree won’t just fall on you, but it was pretty amazing to see how quickly these volunteer firemen could work and just a few minutes later, their truck started up and we were moving again. We hadn’t even made it much further, when the firetruck stopped again.  It was dark, so I couldn’t quite make it out, but a large tree had fallen in a very residential area along the road.  Families stood outside with flashlights, assessing the damage, and we were thankfully soon on our way down the street again.  Adam and Jim called with a slight hiccup.  The power had just gone out at the cabin.

I held my breath every time there was a loud gust, deciding that my newest fear was being crushed by a fallen tree.  I really just wanted us to get to the cabin safely and wait out the storm in peace.  Which, we were SO close to doing.  Just a couple minutes from the house, the cars stopped once again.  In front of us, a freshly fallen tree and power line draped across the narrow road.  So now, we had no shelter for the night, no food, and were separated indefinitely from Adam and Jim by a fallen power line.

It wasn’t safe to park the car in the area, as there were power lines and those unstable tall monsters all around us, so we shimmied the car to turn around and head down that same old road.  We had no plan.  AJ suggested we go back to the pub in Snug Cove, but we all agreed that was too temporary a solution.  There was no debating that the babes needed a warm place to sleep, so in true problem solving fashion, Tessa suggested Linda’s place.  “Who the hell is Linda?” I asked.  “Oh, a lovely woman we worked with like a decade ago, I think I might know where she lives,” she said.  We pulled into a driveway that may or may not be Linda’s and drove the car up a steep incline until we arrived at a home.  Pia practically jumped out of the vehicle to go knock on the door, where a man answered.  Pia inquired about Linda, and it was revealed that this man, also named Jim (we shall call him New Jim), was Linda’s roommate.  We had no choice but to then ask if he could possibly take in 6 strangers, 2 babies, and a dog for the night.  New Jim was an absolute gem and welcomed all of us into his home that had power AND two dogs already living there.  We funnelled into the warm house and finally safe, Pia burst into tears.

We cooked a pasta dinner, though most of us had no appetite.  I picked at my meal, feeling guilty that Adam was stuck at the cabin with no power, warmth, food, or much phone battery.  We all worked at trying to calm Pia, as our hypothetical going into labour scenarios were void in such a powerful storm.  New Jim was sweet enough to give Reggie some of his dog’s food for dinner.  I felt so drained that I couldn’t really concentrate.  Tessa began brainstorming what I could wear to bed.  I looked at her in confusion, forgetting that I was wearing jeans and had none of my things with me.  I’d been in survival mode, wearing denim to bed didn’t even cross my mind.

Despite the comfortable bed, I lay awake unable to fall asleep.  Mostly because the wind was so loud and unforgiving, and also because there was 4 other people and a dog in the room.  Between congested Pia and I loud breathing/snoring/coughing, Paige getting up to feed, and Reggie unable to lay still, I don’t think many of us slept.  My alarm went off at 6 and we all stirred and looked for any updates.  The wind warning had been lifted and ferries were scheduled to run again, so Adam and Jim attempted to make their way to us.  Those two poor souls.  In the below freezing temperatures, a layer of ice on the driveway halted their attempts to leave the cabin.  They decided to walk to see if that darned tree was still blocking the road.  It was.  They called us to say that they were going to walk back to the cabin, grab all of our stuff, leave the car, and walk around the downed tree and power line.  We decided to pick them up on the other side and Pia and AJ set off to meet them.  Adam later told us that when they emerged on the other side of the tree, there were cars sitting there waiting and people jumped out and asked where they’d come from and how they got around.  He also revealed that he and Jim shared a bottle of red wine and a cookie for sustenance and tried to sleep with extra blankets but it was too cold to get much shut eye.  I was just happy we were all together again and wanted to get off the island as soon as humans possible.

The other car had left for the earlier ferry with their little one, but the rest of us were finally reunited at Linda and New Jim’s house.  AJ then shuttled Adam, Reggie, and I down to the ferry terminal so we could walk on, since there wasn’t enough room in their car.  We called Tessa and Pia’s mom to meet us at Horseshoe Bay on the other side to drive the extra people.  It was so cold that Reggie was crying and alternately lifting his legs if we stopped walking for even a second.  Adam put him in his jacket and we took the below photo:

It certainly wasn’t the start to the year we’d envisioned.  We spent all of Monday sleeping and trying to figure out how to get our car up the icy hill and off the island.  My brother in law was kind enough to take Adam back, so he spent the $55 and another night of his life yesterday to retrieve our vehicle.  Luckily the tree had been sort of cleared and they were able, after a few attempts and lots of sand, to get the car up the driveway.

The whole thing seems like almost a distant memory now, even though it just happened a few days ago.  At the time it was such an intense and scary ordeal, but I’m just glad we were all okay.  It’s going to be a story that I’m sure we’ll tell all the kids one day and they’ll be like “No, not the windy Bowen story again.” and we’ll add all sorts of absurd exaggerated and untrue details.  Seriously though, couldn’t have asked for a better group to be trapped on a small island with, everyone’s teamwork and problem solving was what helped us to escape the island unscathed.  Oh, and no baby yet for Pia and Jim.  I’ll have to keep you posted!

If only we’d all listened to Reggie’s warnings, hey?  What an intuitive little guy we have!