Mounting Evidence…

4

So, years ago we moved to Vancouver..and the running joke became that when we travel at Christmas some natural disaster always strikes. Ice storms, the worst blizzard in X number of years, avalanches, rockslides, blistering cold….you name it… And because of our run of winter weather scenarios, a few friends actually try to gauge the coming season by inquiring about our travel plans.

One year we drove home to PG and when we got there…it dumped literally feet of snow while there. We had the little Topaz with two bald rear tires and two excellent snow tires on the front (front wheel drive…obviously). Highways were treacherous, but there was no way I was spending New Years in PG only a couple of years after leaving, seemed like a negative omen. So we plowed out way through and made it back to the Coast safely.

A couple of years later we decided to make the trek home again. This time with a newly purchased 4runner. When we arrived in PG the temperature plummeted to -48 oC and held there. No block heater in the truck, but it sluggishly agreed to start everyday and again, we made it home without incident.

Down the road, another trip to the North, and about the time we were to leave, hideous blizzard conditions that turned a four lane highway into something that was closer to one lane, particularly when the semi trucks were barreling down the middle at you. We were headed to Salmon Arm on the way and felt moderately secure coming into the Kamloops area since there was obviously a plow somewhere not too far ahead of us….and then we rounded the corner and found it in the ditch. Definitely a confidence crushing moment. We plowed on and transiting the road along Shuswap Lake Kirk asked me where Deadmans corner was. My response was simple “ahead somewhere…but I can’t even see the lake so I have no idea where we are”!! Another confidence crusher. Travelling the Coquihalla the next day we watched two semi trailers just barely clip each other and held our breath waiting for the inevitable pileup in front of us….luckily it didn’t materialize.

Another year we head for Cranbrook. A pleasant drive there. We think “Ah, the weather gods are going to be kind to us this year”. Unbeknownst to us my brother had burned an effigy to Oobar the snow god on a bonfire in his yard earlier. Oobar came through. Not only did it snow massive amounts every day we were there….but it did it at below -25 oC every freakin’ day! The day before we were scheduled to leave the temperature rose from -26 oC in the morning to +5 oC in the afternoon! Then it plummeted back down to sub zero temperatures again and the roads were like mirrors, you could hardly stand let alone drive. Pretty much every route to Vancouver was closed including down through the US. Not much to do but settle in until some roads opened. An extra day or two in Cranbrook.

Decided to fly to PG one year! Yes, this will be stress free. Bought the tickets dirt cheap back in September and everything was great….until the snow started falling in Vancouver on the 23rd….and through the night….and into the morning… We went to the airport on the advice of the airline which said, all is fine, no cancellation. We got there early, checked in…found a seat…and waited for the next 12 hours for a flight after ours was cancelled. We were to arrive in the morning on the 24th…we got there after 11 pm…we almost missed Christmas…we could have driven home faster! We didn’t again fly at Christmas for many years…

We drove home another year…it was supposed to be an easy drive…it was a mild year. Absolutely no way we were going to get nailed with anything this year. A rockslide at Spences Bridge happened….

Need I go on?

So here we are again…flying to Cranbrook on the 24th…really, the fall was great, the winter not shaping up to be much of anything…then the Arctic decides to pay a visit and kick the entire country into the freezer and toss some snow into the party mix. Fine, it’s still over a week away…but more snow is forecast for tomorrow and for the weekend….oh please…no repeats…please, please, please….

Anyone for Christmas in July?