The weather has been pretty dynamic out here the last couple of days…very high winds, occasional sideways rain and also some lovely, warm, sunny spots. The clouds move so fast and rainbows appear here and there in the sky fairly frequently…weird. There are lots of downed trees, blown over by the wind after all these heavy storms and thier moisture have weakened the root systems. Power outages are de rigeur.
Last night around eleven, as I felt the whole apartment shake from a gust of wind, I decided it was a good idea to drive (about 5 minutes) out to the point off Dallas Road beyond Beacon Hill Park to see what the water looked like. Wow. There were swales with 8+ ft. peaks crashing into the rocks and the wind must have been blowing, no word of a lie, in gusts near 80+ km/h. There were a whole group of other vehicles besides ours, and we were, unbeknownst to us, participating in a typical BC storm watching experience. Getting out of Betty was an effort, pushing the door ajar against the wind. The salty surf blown into your face at that speed is kinda painful…like getting some sea salt spa facial treatment sprayed through a high-pressure nozzle. Exhilarating is the only word. The wind was really difficult to walk against, and if your ran with it, it would be impossible to stop. I turned my back to the water and leaned into the wind, which held me up on the backs of my heels. It was windy and wet, but shockingly, not cold.
After a couple of minutes out there we needed to jump back into the truck, and just sat mesmerized by the huge, awesome waves crashing up on the rocks, lit by the lights from a line of three or four fellow storm watcher’s vehicles. When gusts really picked up, the whole truck wobbled uncomfortably. Soon, people started to leave, and as we were left almost alone except for the daunting power of the ocean, I thought long and hard about the whole surfing thing. Haven’t given up, mind you. In any event, no surfer could have survived that powerful, dark and incredible sea. That storm last night was strictly for watching.
These storms are one of the most amazing things you could ever witness, I think. It’s hard to believe they’re even more dramatic and powerful on the west coast of the island. After last night, maybe a weekend of storm watching in Tofino is in order for early in the new year…
January 11, 2007 at 8:37 pm |
haha.. storms always make me wonder where creatures go to shiver through the night. in this case, i was also where you describe, when you describe, just ‘north’ (east?) from Cook street on Dallas road. Clover Point. I repeat: haha. That storm truly was something else.