From The Ashes of Disaster, Grow The Roses Of Success

It's been a interesting 24 hours. Anytime I can say that without referencing or imply something about ALS, at least not directly, this is a good thing. The last 24 hours were interesting as a challenge to David and I's logistical abilities, our ability to think creatively, and our ability to have fun regardless of how it came at us. As a traveling pair, I think we did a pretty good job.

Thanks to the weather, the ferries from Victoria to Vancouver were cancelled out from underneath us. It happens a few times every year, where winter winds buffet the coast, making sailings uncomfortable, even downright dangerous. So instead of moaning and groaning, perhaps after a bit of moaning and groaning on my part, we set out to make our alternative plan.

Initially we had a room in Victoria, but then discovered that all ferries out of the Victoria area were fully reserved before we had a chance to get a reservation. It was then that we noticed ferries from Duke Point and Departure Bay, up in Nanaimo, were still open. That's about a 90 minute drive under good conditions, perhaps about 10 minutes longer in the weather we had last night.

We cancelled our hotel in Victoria. The receptionist was great, saying anything could happen tonight thanks to the ferry cancellations. We left Mary and family earlier than planned, hitting the road at 7:00 PM for Nanaimo. I took shotgun, using the passenger time to arrange a hotel in Nanaimo. It would seem everyone was having that same idea; there was no room in the inn, any inn.

I know this coast quite well. So I took that knowledge and put it to good use. We ended up in the Best Western in Chemainus, and new property on the edge of that cute little town with all the murals. About three minutes away there was a terrific new restaurant called the Sawmill. Their menu, typical West Coast fare, was complemented by a host of beers all served in "flights" of 4 ounce glasses. One flight of three glasses allows you to taste three different beers. David loved it!

This morning we got up at 5:45 AM and made the 7:45 ferry out of Duke Point. Now at our hotel, my day is truly beginning. I slept as much as I could on the ferry. I am very tired; I'm going to need a nap this afternoon. Yet here we are, Mother Nature behind us, and our plan ahead of us. This will all work out fine.