Hurricane Dorian hit Atlantic Canada overnight on Saturday, September 7th, 2019. I will never forget this because being from the west coast of Canada, it should not personally affected me. It just so happens we had flown into New Brunswick the day before for a wedding. I have to say I am not a nervous flier at all but flying into somewhere that is about to get hit by a hurricane is a whole other thing.
I am sure the bride and groom with never forget it either. Maybe I will do a post about it later, if they don’t mind. Jokes went around that their first child should be named Dorian. Despite the down-pouring rain, raging wind and flickering power, it was a beautiful wedding. The reception was cut a bit short to make sure everyone could get home safe, understandably. The happy couple were to fly out the next day for their honeymoon, Walt Disney World! Yes, I was a little green with envy. Despite the uncertainty of what was coming everyone was happy and hopeful for them.
The drive back from Hopewell Rocks to Moncton was about 40 minutes along dark country backroads. It was a little nerve wracking but we made it back to the hotel safe. The hotel had set up sandbags all around the doors to try to keep the water out of the hotel. Which must of been an uphill battle since the whole parking lot and back entrance to the hotel was on a downslope.
Once safe back at the hotel we snuggled in and watched the storm and HGTV from the safety of our comfy bed. It was a topic of debate as to whether the carpet by the air conditioner under the window was wet from the AC unit itself or a product of the storm. It will remain a mystery. Although, I do have my suspicions about that shady storm. We woke the next day to a partly sunny/cloudy day and relief. As we were leaving the hotel, we talked to a couple that had been upgraded to the penthouse suite only to have the roof collapse in during the storm. They were fine but that turned out to be an unlucky upgrade.
We got in our rental car and headed from Moncton, New Brunswick to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The drive was incredible. Although we saw so many breathtaking views and historic sites, I think this lag of the trip was my favourite. It was unbelievable to see the way the storm had affected each place we passed through. We saw so much in the aftermath of Dorian, from the massive flooding and power outages and the incredible force of the wind that uprooted small or massive trees alike and took off roofs with ease.
I didn’t take many photos of the destruction we saw. Somehow it didn’t feel right to do so. I didn’t want to feel like I was exploiting someone else’s misfortune. I did however get a few snaps of a public park in Oxford, N.S. that was flooded. Most of the town was without power. Seems a tragedy for a town already famous for its sinkhole.
Along the way we stopped at the Swiss Air 111 Memorial site. I took a lot of pictures here. The site was beautiful as was the memorial itself. At the time I took them I didn’t realize I would blogging and most of them are vertical so they don’t upload properly to WP. I will have to figure that one out soon. Although, if I had brought my big girl camera that would not of been an issue. Live and learn.
And then there was Peggy’s Cove off in the distance but that is a story for another day.
Yikes! Well welcome to the east coast am I right?! The flooding is insane! Glad you guys remained safe and mostly dry!
No kidding! Thank you. Although, if it can be that good on in a hurricane I would love to see it again on a normal day.