|
| |
|
|
|
B.C. rock slide disrupts life for tourists and locals along Sea-to-Sky |
|
|
|
Written by James Keller, THE CANADIAN PRESS
|
|
Friday, 01 August 2008 |
A controlled explosion blasts a overhang above a rock slide blocking the Sea-to-Sky highway near Porteau Cove, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Google Currency Converter
Related Items
No keywords found
VANCOUVER - Stuart Kirkby and Bridgette Tanner have been planning their wedding for the better part of a year, booking a golf resort overlooking British Columbia's majestic Howe Sound and inviting 119 guests to Saturday's ceremony.
But the giant slabs of granite blocking the Sea-to-Sky Highway after a massive rock slide earlier this week have forced them to trade the picturesque resort for a cozy barbecue in a suburban backyard, cobbling together a wedding in just a few days.
"We had some quick decisions and we're just rolling with it," Kirkby, 31, said Friday from his father's house in North Vancouver, B.C.
Luckily, Kirkby and Tanner were taking care of the flowers themselves, the photographer is also a wedding guest and Kirkby, a former chef, had aready made his own cake.
But it's been a lot of work transforming his father's backyard into a makeshift wedding venue.
"We're lucky we have a lot of out-of-towners, so we can put them to work the second they come in," Kirkby said with a remarkably light-hearted laugh.
The Tuesday night rock slide left thousands of cubic metres of rock and debris on a section of the highway south of Squamish, and even with the clean-up progressing faster than expected, the highway was expected to be closed until at least Sunday.
No one was hurt in the slide, which happened on the main route between Vancouver and Whistler, the host cities of the 2010 Winter Olympics, but the slide has disrupted life all along the Sea-to-Sky corridor.
Just north of the slide at the Furry Creek Golf and Country Club, the original site of Kirkby's wedding, the resort closed its doors for the long weekend after bookings evaporated and two other weddings cancelled.
Further up the highway in Squamish and Whistler, tourism operators were preparing for slower business for the busiest long weekend of the year.
Hotels waved cancellation fees and lowered rates to accommodate stranded travellers and lure in anyone willing to take a number of longer, more expensive trips into the area.
The only alternate driving route is a seven-or eight-hour trip through the Interior, although regional airlines and water taxis had increased service.
Jeff MacDonald of Tourism Whistler said while there was no question visits would be down, operators were making the best of it.
"I think they're holding up very well - a number of them are stepping up to the plate with great deals," said MacDonald. "They're recognizing that business is going to be down, but taking the long-term view of protecting Whistler's reputation."
Some service stations in the area had run out of fuel by Thursday morning, but new shipments came in via the longer route and the pumps were working again Friday.
Several events planned in Whistler on the weekend, such as the Canadian National BBQ Championships, were going ahead as planned, as was the 51st annual Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival.
Squamish Days president Bryan Couture said most competitors loaded up their chainsaws and hatchets and took the long drive around the Duffy Lake road through the Interior.
"Most of them are driving around, making that effort, which is unbelievable," said Couture, who hitchhiked from Vancouver to a water taxi terminal in Horseshoe Bay to make it to Squamish in time.
"A lot of people are in the same boat I'm in. Whenever the road gets open, it'll be a blessing."
Meanwhile, crews were continuing to stabilize the cliffs above the slide Friday to ensure it would be safe to start moving the debris into the water.
If all goes well, the highway could re-open Sunday after some quick repair work, said the province's chief geotechnical engineer, Mike Oliver.
"We'd have to fix the road a little bit, because the road is severely damaged," he said. "We would smooth it off as best we can, get the initial traffic going. It might be a rough road at the start."
Eventually the road will need to be re-paved, but that might not happen for days or weeks.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )
|
|
|
Who's Online
We have 53 guests and 5 members online
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
