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...