The Big Melt

Just as the crampons are due to arrive!

Thu Jan 13th
Dakota Ridge

After nearly four weeks of snow and ice, temperatures have climbed above freezing and storms together with heavy rain Tuesday and overnight Wednesday, have cleared most of the ice and snow except where it's ploughed up at the edge of the road. 

Having both gone over on the icy roads we, along with nearly everybody else on the Coast who didn't already have them, have ordered crampons to reduce falls and slips.  Inevitably they will arrive after we need them unless new snow arrives.  That said we'll have them for next winter!  They are, we have decided, an essential accessory.

The heavy rain and wind caused quite a bit of damage around the southern coast of BC as it coincided with King (Spring) tides.  

Low lying areas around Vancouver were flooded and logs washed up on the beaches. The sea wall around Stanley Park, a circular walk and cycle route that goes under the spectacular Lion's Gate Bridge that is a major attraction in Vancouver, was badly damaged.  A great shame as it's a great cycle ride and a 'must do' for visitors to Vancouver.

It is now closed off to the public with no date for when engineers and park staff are going to be able to assess and repair the damage.  There is a link to news footage here.

The son and girlfriend of UK friends came over to the Coast for the weekend and we took them up to
Dakota Ridge on Sunday and headed out on one of the snowshoe trails.  It was slightly warmer this time and a clear blue 'bluebird' sky.  The views from the top were stunning.  

Jack demonstrated his love of the snow by eating it, rolling in it, running through it and burying his head in the drifts where he thought there was a scent worth checking out.  Last visit his paws iced up and he was constantly stopping to chew it out.  We checked out dog boots, but so had many others and decided that the only ones left in a shocking colour red, would not really suit a working gun dog, so trimmed the fur in and around his paws, which did the trick.   

The parking lot at the top of Dakota Ridge which is reached via 14k icy/snowy forest service road was nearly full when we arrived. There was a 'Jackrabbits' Nordic ski club event on for the 6 - 12 year olds.  

The new snow chains were put to good use, though we were surprised some adventurous types had decided to drive to the top without them.  Some did not make it and when it got down to a single lane above the mid-point with banked snow on each side, they had to gently reverse back down as they were unable to effectively control their vehicle.  Complete numpties!






The end of the snow and ice also means we may get our bins collected after 4 weeks.  Tuesday didn't happen and on ringing the contractor on Thursday morning our road was listed as being 'cleared'.  On this morning's Jack constitutional ten properties still had uncollected bins. We are not, I was told, the only ones.  The post has been getting through, not so courier deliveries... the first and much delayed parcel arrived yesterday.

Some more images of Dakota Ridge.


Immersed in snow

Snow chains essential

There is a tree there somewhere

 





 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Frustrations of Canadian Immigration Services

Image
And other things  Sat June 1st The pause in blogs was due to Immigration Canada announcing at the beginning of May that a further draw would be made from the remaining pool of the 2020 Expressions of Interest (EOI) for Parent and Grandparent sponsored Permanent Residency.    Friday was the last day and again we did not get through.  The fifth year running.  I suspect that later in the year they will invite a new round of EOI's which probably means we will be a small fish back in a very large pool.  On the grand scale of all suffering and instability in the world, it is insignificant  (I keep telling myself),  but it is hugely, bloody frustrating.  Our tenure continues under the Super Visa scheme, which runs until our passports expire in 5 and 8 years time respectively. Other news ...  on Sunday 27th w e went to a wedding reception. It is the first time I have worn a jacket in over three years.  My boarding pass from our Air Can...
Read more

Cream Crackers & Stilton

Image
Blue Sky in Whistler!!!!! Fred on the Piste - not overly busy Before I get on to Whistler ........ In my early BBC career I spent a couple of years working at the BBC’s Television Centre (TVC), in west London.  This was long before the BBC flogged it and it was turned into an apartment hotel and restaurant complex, plus a few TV studios for the industry to use as a nod to its history.   Amongst other things I did a stint as a studio supervisor and worked on the Two Ronnies, Morecombe & Wise and Top of the Pops.  Anyone remember Pan's People? Phwoar! Interesting times. TV Centre was huge and had several thousand staff. The restaurant block, on three floors, included a waitress service restaurant on the '2nd floor' where stars were entertained by their producers over long lunches and the odd glass of wine.  This was the late 70’s before ‘hair shirts’ and the critical public attention the BBC gets today.   Occasionally, a couple of fellow wor...
Read more

Fall Leaves and Rainfall

Image
Jack Vs Car Sat November 9th Fall seems later this year and the deciduous leaves have been a lovely mix of golds and reds with the predominance of Maples in all of its varieties. After last week's storms, most of the leaves are now down along with quite a few trees.  Further up the Coast a tornado was reported taking out multiple trees that closed the main highway and took out power for local residents for around three days.    A local driver caught the trees coming down on video .  After two consecutive dry summers, 2024 has been wetter with no significant water restrictions on the Coast.  I assumed this was good news until reading an article in the UK press that suggested late autumns are just another sign of global warming. The storm left us without power for nearly 12 hours and a huge number of properties were similarly affected across southern and central BC.  Fortunately we had a good supply of candles and a gas lamp.  Some friends near the ...
Read more