Summer Road Trippin #2 - Stevens Family Reunion

I've already talked about the wonders of a family reunion in this post.

The Stevens reunion (aka 'Hooknosers' - due to a prominent family feature) was the second in our series of summer weekends this year - no time to plan, just get 'er done. Which involved a borrowed tent, poor planning for our travel arrangements (many hours spent at the ferry terminal) and necessities left at home (hard to survive without a coffee cup!).  Plus an abrupt and unwelcome realization that I haven't slept outside in 30 years - for a reason.

When I wrote the earlier post, I was still basking in the glow of the actual event. But the additional benefit has been an ever-expanding network, using Facebook to keep in touch with people who were there and even those who weren't able to make it. It's pretty awesome, really, to get a little insight into everyone's lives.

So just a couple of stories from the reunion that haven't yet been shared:

1. Maple Bay

Dry and parched. (But on the upside, we had gorgeous sunsets!)

It was a very hot, very sticky weekend. We were on a beautiful farm, but the heat had taken its toll and everything was dry and parched. The awnings and pockets under trees helped, to a certain point.

Yet by the afternoon of the first full day at the reunion (Saturday), we were melting into puddles of sweat and smell.

So a plan was hatched to head down to Maple Bay, just a few minutes away. Ocean water never looked more inviting than when we looked down the grassy hill to the beach below. Who cared that it was not the clearest of clear by that point in the summer? Who dared to think what the sailboats nearby were dropping into the water? Or the many dogs? Certainly not us. Ignorance is most definitely bliss.

We had water. Water that would coat our chafing bodies. Water that would relieve us from the heat, however fleeting that might be.

We thought we'd found a slice of heaven.

Until the next day, when we really did.

2. Cheakamus River

Through conversation with others after the Maple Bay adventure, we discovered that there was also a river in the vicinity. A longer drive than the Bay, but fresh, moving water as the reward. So a new plan was hatched for Sunday afternoon.

Someone got some directions (although more vague than I'd thought...) and assumed the role as the leader. At the appointed time later in the afternoon, a convoy was launched.

We were second in line. In a VW Jetta. On a forest service road. Pretty interesting.  My sister Anne was valiant in her efforts and kept the car on track, despite the ruts and rocks.

We noticed there were a fair number of vehicles coming the opposite direction on this very long dead-end road. And then we noticed some of those vehicles looked kind of official, were driving with hazard lights blinking, were full of guys in khakis with badges on their shoulders, and maybe, just maybe, were trying to flag us over.

But we were oblivious and doggedly continued on our way. When we finally arrived at our destination, there were fewer cars than we'd expected and the people there were packing up to go.

Why, you ask? Well, we asked too.

Turns out there was a forest fire nearby, and forest service guys had told everyone to evacuate.

But dammit, we'd driven a long way. We were hotter and stickier than ever. We couldn't just turn around, defeated.

So we parked. And we wound our way down the trail to the river. A whole bunch of Stevens' trompling down the path, not to be denied the bounty we had come for.

And what a bounty it was. Absolutely f...'g gorgeous. Beautiful clear water, eddies and ripples, a lazy curve in the river, even a gentle waterfall. We could almost ignore the sounds of waterbombers and helicopters overhead.

Almost... although when it seemed we could feel our hair pulled into the rotors as they passed over us, we thought it might be best to leave.

Of course, leaving is not the same as being out of danger. We still had to bounce our way back along that one-way forest road, surrounded by tinder-dry trees that could explode in fire at any minute!

I spent the whole time imagining the headlines:

• "Tragic End to Family Reunion" 
• "15 Family Members Perish in Forest Fire"
• "Relatives Mourn as Fire Overtakes Kin"

Or more likely,

• "Clan Engulfed by Flames After Ignoring Evacuation Order"

Or even more likely,

• "Stevens Family Win 2015 Darwin Awards (by a Hooknose)"

Now imagine if half of these people were no longer in the photo...

Summer Road Trippin' - #1 Powell River Wedding

This summer resulted in a series of weekend road trips.  So no big 'week away' but a succession of events to attend.

I approached it with some trepidation. Oh my, so much to organize. So much to decide.
Until I thought... nah, let's just do it. Let the chips fall where they may. As long as we have somewhere to sleep, surely we can get by.

So this is Road Trip #1: Niece's wedding in Powell River.

Booked the early ferry out of Horseshoe Bay. That's at 7:30 in the morning. Which somehow meant getting up at about 4:30am.
... on a Saturday.

Not really my happy place.

Eeewww. What's she doing with her toes?!

Despite the odds, got ourselves and the kids up and out the door. Picked up the nephew (meaning yours truly was sitting in the back of the car... in the middle seat. Gosh, what mothers do for their kids!) and made it to the ferry.

This is a two-ferry event. Have to drive up the Sunshine Coast for the next one. Lots of time there, so a nice snack at the cafe.  Not a great day yet - some clouds and drizzle. But gave us time to focus on our grooming. The girl painted my nails (manicure/pedicure is not my strong suit), then her own. (Some funny looks her way with that!) Nephew kept up commentary about how he'd like his wife to get one of those BC Ferries jobs, so they'd be set for life. Amusing travel up.

Powell River is a cool place. Original mill town, but the jobs disappeared as the industry automated. The whole town seems to be built on a slope towards the water. All these fabulous bungalows with great water views, for next to nothing (by Vancouver standards.)  If you can find a way to make a living there, and you don't care about being close to a city, it's lovely.

Checked into our room, changed into our finery and made it to the ceremony at the golf course in plenty of time. The wedding gods had smiled upon them and it was sunny and bright (and kinda hot!) by that time. Martin found blackberry bushes while we were waiting for the formalities to begin, so he was especially happy.

Not a selfie person

A selfie person

After the ceremony and some fun family photos, we had time to kill at the hotel room. Bought some 'effervescent' (= cheap) rose, which we shared, and did some hotel selfies before the reception.

Gangsta posing in the Town Centre Inn

I guess the dress slides down...

The happy couple

The reception was wonderful! Venue was a hall in the old town with beautiful pane glass windows. Food was a local caterer - tasty, warm and real. Desserts were cool (on a stick, in jars... super fun). Drinks were cheap.


There was dancing. The whole family danced, to varying degrees of success. We took the shuttle bus back to the hotel, dropped into bed and slept until the last possible moment the next morning.

Found the Magpie Cafe for a fabulous breakfast. Chose Eggs Benedict with Ukrainian Sausage - perfect eggs, silky hollandaise (in just the right quantity) with the slight saltiness and chewiness of the sausage providing a perfect contrast. Quite bliss-inducing. My goal when eating at a restaurant is to pick something that I would not make at home.  And I definitely would not, could not make THAT at home.

Snake Kids 2015

More ferry rides home. Lots of waiting around in parking lots. Some of our car passengers got a bit antsy and ended up doing 'Snake Kids' in the back seat (look closely - there are 2 children in this mashup.)

We survived. More than that, we enjoyed. We were family.
(and, as I always say, if there are no police incidents, it's a success!)

No Police Incidents - WHEW!