New Years Eve Flight Out

December 31, 2021

On December 31^st we were booked to go out on the ferry with our truck, taking Jiji, our white paint, and a bunch of stuff from our house that we wanted to donate to thrift stores.  Our plan was to leave our truck at my parents' place while we went to Mexico, and then to bring back a truckload of supplies that we would need for working on our house when we got back to Ocean Falls.  Two days before our scheduled ferry departure, we got notified that the Northern Sea Wolf ferry, which would have taken us from Ocean Falls to our connecting ferry in Bella Bella, had been cancelled.    

Since we had plans to see my brother and his girlfriend who were visiting from London for a week, and we also had plane tickets to go to Mexico, we could not simply wait and hope that the ferry would run the following week.  We had to get out from Ocean Falls to Vancouver Island.  This was the second week in a row that they had cancelled the Northern Sea Wolf ferry.  We were frustrated.    

After many back and forth emails and phone calls with BC Ferries we finally got them to agree to pay for us to fly out on the scheduled goose plane on Friday, December 31^st.  We would be unable to take our truck out with us, but at least we would get out to the island where we could then rent a car and get down to Victoria.  I also explained to BC Ferries that the car rental would be an extra cost that should not have been part of the trip and they said that if we kept and submitted our receipts it was possible that we would get refunded for the rental.  

I called Wilderness Seaplanes and booked us, and Jiji on the Friday flight out.  I was told to call them at 10:00 on Friday when the plane was scheduled to leave Port Hardy, and at that time they would know if it would be on time and could give us an ETA for Ocean Falls.  At 09:30 on that Friday our power went out and Ron only had a cordless phone, which required power.  Luckily our own house had a corded phone so I simply walked up and got it and was then able to call Wilderness Seaplanes at 10:00.  We got the plane's ETA and gathered up Jiji in her carrier to go to meet the plane.  It turned out that because the mail plane had been delayed until Friday due to weather, we actually flew out on the end of the mail plane run. 

It was an empty plane with just the pilot, us, and Jiji.  We told the pilot that we liked flying and gave him full permission to fly any route or way that he wanted to.  All of the pilots of the goose floatplanes that we have flown with, just love to fly and they always seem eager to have passengers who share the same enjoyment.  Our pilot this time took full use of our permission.   Because of the outflowing winds coming down over Baldy Mt and towards Martin Valley the pilot took off towards Ocean Falls.  He climbed quickly and then banked a hard 90 degrees across the valley and came back over Martin Valley buzzing the residents that had come to see us off. 

After we were no longer sunk into our seats we looked back at poor Jiji who was cowering in the back of her carrier completely out of sight, and the enjoyment of the flight was just starting for us.   

The entire flight was stunningly beautiful flying over snow covered mountains, ice covered lakes, and wind-blown frozen marshes.   

When we got close to the area of the mainland that we know to be roughly across from the tip of Vancouver Island the pilot started to lose elevation and we were given the flyby of a lifetime.  It was “Our Beach”, the beach that we had seen on the navigation charts, and had always dreamed of going to when we sailed by, but had not even gotten to see because it was too foggy when we motored past, and the pilot came down to within a few feet of the breaking waves and skimmed along the whole length of the beach.  WOW!   

Then back up we flew until we got to the islands out from Port Hardy where the pilot once again dropped elevation and weaved us through the islands below tree line.  It was an awesome flight.

At the Port Hardy airport we picked up our rental car and drove down to Victoria.  Jiji was so happy to be off the plane and out of her carrier.  I am sure she was traumatized from the flight, as all she wanted to do for the whole drive was sit nestled in our laps.

She was relieved to be able to play again after arriving in Victoria.