Friday August 20, Boya Lake, Cassiar Highway, BC
SORRY, NO PHOTOS YET, BUT THOUGHT I WOULD LOAD THE BLOG....TO LET YOU KNOW WE ARE THROUGH THE FIRE AND SAFE!!!!
50 Miles
Vehicles started moving about 6am, trying to get near the start of the queue, which was quite unnecessary as we had been told that all vehicles that were in the area would go in the convoy if and when it moved.
We got up about 7, breakfasted and packed up and waited…and waited…and waited.
We became quite a little group, Betsy and David, and Eric and Laura, who we all ended up calling “the kids”…the surrogate family. People mooched around, chatted, and we drank coffee and read and chatted. The morning dragged on, and it was looking hopeful as they hadn’t said that the road was closed. We were told that there were a lot of burnt trees on the highway that would need to be felled and cleared away and evidently that was the delay. We also knew that if the wind got up we wouldn’t get through.
Then to add to the bizarre situation, a group of natives arrived in about a dozen vehicles and they needed to get through urgently….they had a body in the back of one of their trucks and they were on there way back to their ancestral grounds on the Cassiar for the funeral. So they waited too, but we all felt maybe that would help get us through.
Finally about 1.30 everyone started rushing, the funeral cortege was off down the road and we were away. Laura and Eric were to be driven through by the lead pilot car with their bikes on the back, but they forgot them, so they managed to get their bikes on a truck and traveled with us.
There were close on 150 vehicles in the procession. It wasn’t many miles down the road before we came to the fire area, quite a sobering sight. We drove through this section for about 10 miles, in places there were still flames very close to the road, and we could see where many trees had fallen on the road. The smoke was thick, stinging the eyes and very acrid. Many of us had been feeling that maybe they were being over cautious, but we soon realised that in fact we were very lucky to actually get through.
We had decided that we would stay the night at Boya Lake, had heard it was very beautiful and also didn’t want to be part of the big line of traffic. Betsy and David were planning the same and Eric and Laura thought it was a great idea, so we held a “refugee party” with a shared dinner.
Magnificent spot right beside the lake, which is really clear and a magnificent turquoise colour. We had barbecued pork, roast potatoes and a salad….fabulous.
The girls decided to take the 4km walk around the lake to a working beaver dam, so with bear spray in one hand and wine in the other set off. So good to be out walking after being in limbs for the past 48 hours. No bears but a great walk.
50 Miles
Vehicles started moving about 6am, trying to get near the start of the queue, which was quite unnecessary as we had been told that all vehicles that were in the area would go in the convoy if and when it moved.
We got up about 7, breakfasted and packed up and waited…and waited…and waited.
We became quite a little group, Betsy and David, and Eric and Laura, who we all ended up calling “the kids”…the surrogate family. People mooched around, chatted, and we drank coffee and read and chatted. The morning dragged on, and it was looking hopeful as they hadn’t said that the road was closed. We were told that there were a lot of burnt trees on the highway that would need to be felled and cleared away and evidently that was the delay. We also knew that if the wind got up we wouldn’t get through.
Then to add to the bizarre situation, a group of natives arrived in about a dozen vehicles and they needed to get through urgently….they had a body in the back of one of their trucks and they were on there way back to their ancestral grounds on the Cassiar for the funeral. So they waited too, but we all felt maybe that would help get us through.
Finally about 1.30 everyone started rushing, the funeral cortege was off down the road and we were away. Laura and Eric were to be driven through by the lead pilot car with their bikes on the back, but they forgot them, so they managed to get their bikes on a truck and traveled with us.
There were close on 150 vehicles in the procession. It wasn’t many miles down the road before we came to the fire area, quite a sobering sight. We drove through this section for about 10 miles, in places there were still flames very close to the road, and we could see where many trees had fallen on the road. The smoke was thick, stinging the eyes and very acrid. Many of us had been feeling that maybe they were being over cautious, but we soon realised that in fact we were very lucky to actually get through.
We had decided that we would stay the night at Boya Lake, had heard it was very beautiful and also didn’t want to be part of the big line of traffic. Betsy and David were planning the same and Eric and Laura thought it was a great idea, so we held a “refugee party” with a shared dinner.
Magnificent spot right beside the lake, which is really clear and a magnificent turquoise colour. We had barbecued pork, roast potatoes and a salad….fabulous.
The girls decided to take the 4km walk around the lake to a working beaver dam, so with bear spray in one hand and wine in the other set off. So good to be out walking after being in limbs for the past 48 hours. No bears but a great walk.
Comments
Drive safely
#2
Great story and neat to hear about the wonderful people you are still meeting.