Sounds exciting, but it isn’t – still, you’ve read this far, so you might as well see it through – I’ll keep it brief!
The treacherous part? The roads on Wednesday morning! They were slick, and not in a good way. The previous two days, we had something approaching significant snowfall. So significant, Ucluelet schools were closed and students were delighted. Almost 5 cm coated the ground, and snow forts and snowmen communities were built all over. Out here, if there’s a snow day, children don’t waste any of it!
I had to drive over the bay on Wednesday morning, and had already enjoyed a quiet chuckle or two (to myself, not out loud) as I watched several cars and trucks try and fail to drive up a steep little incline just outside our building. I was full of the confidence that only a seasoned Alberta winter mountain driver armed with a Jeep has. Ha! I thought, that’s not a problem, barely any snow. Oh, I thought, a few minutes later, as the Jeep fishtailed and slipped, and eventually climbed to the top. Wet snow on top of a very thin layer of ice is a different kind of slippery compared to the powdery and heavily compacted snow over the provincial border there. Why, it’s treacherous.
I made it to work on time, pretending I hadn’t had several slightly alarming snow/ice wobbles along the way, feigning nonchalance about the cooler temperatures and unusual snowfall.
On the way back down the Port Albion road close to midday, the scene was really something. On my left, the trees and embankment were covered in snow, and on my right, where the sun had melted the snow away, it looked like spring. I felt like the White Witch of Narnia in reverse, or Aslan had passed by, melting away the dark winter.
I did stop the car and take the photo below, but where I stopped the full divided effect wasn’t as sharp as a bit further back down the road, closer to Hitacu.
Well in truth, this short blast of real winter hasn’t been at all dark, and the snow shone and sparkled delightfully on Wednesday before melting away. A treacherous beauty, but only on the roads.
Keeping it brief this week, as I have to pack my bags and prepare myself for a trip to Mt. Washington on Thursday and Friday. By the time this is posted, I’ll have discovered if I can remember how to snowboard after a season or two off the snow. We are taking a group out for their first snowboard/ski experience, and it’ll be fun. More to follow.
I’ve rediscovered a proper respect for winter, and I sure hope it isn’t too treacherous on the mountain…
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 
I so enjoyed this post, pc, as usual. The photos of the winter magic are truly beautiful, I love the seaside shots especially. Fascinating to read and see the divided scene, where the sun came in and melted half and left half frozen. And mostly, I am delighted that you are getting some snow, able to go snowboarding, etc. But the icy understory can be tricky, take care in the treacherous and enjoy it all, my friend. I hope your trip is going wonderfully.
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Thanks, Jet! The young ones had a great time up at Mt. Washington (and so did the young at heart!) and we were amazed by how much snow there was. It is alpine, but it still comes as a surprise on a small island so close to the coast…
I hope you’ve had a wonderful long weekend, and will have a great week ahead.
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Have a great time boarding and I bet the Mt Washington snow is nothing like the powder of the Rockies.
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Thanks, Mike! You’d be right, a bit wetter and stickier than the champagne powder of the Rockies. Still, it was fun, and muscle memory kicked in!
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Glad the muscle memory kicked in and I reckon you can never have a bad time if your our sliding on snow. Or at least that’s been my experience. Hope the week is going well.
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That is scary stuff, the first layer of snow on the road, or slush, I have gone flying into a ditch with the latter. Enjoy the outing!
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I saw a few cars in the ditch last Wednesday – wrong tires and too fast for the (admittedly quite rare) conditions…
The snowboard outing was great fun!
Thanks, Jane, and have a good week ahead.
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I went snowboarding for the first time in my life three weeks ago and didn’t kill myself in the process, so I’m calling it a success. Spent a lot of time on my butt, but part of that was intentional, as I don’t know how to stop (conventionally). I’d definitely do it again – have fun, Adam!
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I remember being on my backside more often than not the first number of attempts on a board. Then a few things clicked (combined with reading a book called No Fall Snowboarding) and I was hooked. Fewer moving parts than downhill skiing, and it’s actually fine to cruise in long curves down a mountain taking in the scenery.
Delighted to hear you survived (!) and would go again.
Thanks, Bob!
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Safe travels on the sometimes treacherous road between two seasons. Keep the wheels between the ditches and avoid all other fenders. When you get to your destinations, happy snowboarding and craft beer tasting!
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Thanks, Walt. We’ve certainly been switching between two seasons, almost day to day, and thus far, no falling into ditches.
It was indeed happy snowboarding, and seeing the smiles and delight of the kids that had never seen that amount of snow, and watch them try some winter sports was really something.
Have a great week ahead!
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Wonderful photos and winter is definitely beautiful along the coast! I hope you had a safe trip and that your snowboarding skills were quickly remembered so you could impress the group. It has been a winter of icy roads this year here and I admire your confidence on the roads as I continue to drive like a little old lady. Loved the Midday Thaw and Winter Beauty photos and hope you had a wonderful weekend enjoying winter again!
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Thank you! We have see-sawed between winter and spring the past couple of weeks, and it takes a bit of getting used to!
My snowboarding skills, such as they are, surfaced in time for me to make a good impression on the young ones – well, they thought, if he can do it, how hard can it be?!
They had such a great time, and it was a delight to see how much they enjoyed the whole alpine experience.
I hope you have a great week ahead – and the weather warms up for you before the turkey seed costs empty your coffers. There seem to be more and more of them…
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Beautiful photos as always PC. Treacherous perhaps but spell binding. I bet those kids were more than delighted. Happy snowboarding. Take it easy and have fun. 🙂
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Thanks, Miriam! It truly was happy snowboarding, and the kids were beyond delighted. They had a real alpine adventure, and threw themselves into the action.
I hope your week is off to a good start!
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