Living on the Wet Coast, we are constantly learning new lingo.  The latest one is “Cyclone Bomb”.  It was an intense low pressure system formed over the Pacific that brought heavy rain and winds to the Island and the lower mainland.  Living in the central part of the island, sheltered by the Gulf Islands, we rarely see the winds as high as predicted, but we did experience many days of very heavy rain (think monsoon) and some wind but nothing terrible.  The power grid on the Island is quite fragile and so we always anticipate the possibility of power outages, but thankfully we escaped this time, although many did not.

Being the ‘glass half full’ gal that I am, I believe there is always something to appreciate. Yes, there was heavy cloud coverage and visibility from our window was somewhat restricted, but when the sun tried to shine though the clouds during the rains, we were treated to some fantastic rainbows.

Lots of rain also means waterfall season is upon us.  So when we had a break in the rain for an hour or so, we quickly hiked to Stocking Creek and enjoyed the rushing waterfall.  

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Then over the weekend, all the clouds went away and we revelled in the clear skies and sunshine.  Sunshine indeed makes you smile.  It meant the mountains were visible again, and with all the rain at our elevation, it means snow at higher elevations so they are now snow covered.  During the day they are crystal clear and in the evenings, we get what I call ‘strawberry ice cream’ with pinky hues of alpenglow.

Clear skies and later mornings have allowed us, as well, to appreciate some spectacular sunrises.

Sunshine also made for a glorious paddle with friends.  We were back in Maple Bay, one of our favourite haunts.  The sunshine, clear crisp air, sea lions, seals and beautiful scenery made it a perfect day.

Even the drive there was a treat. The overnight temperatures fell just below freezing so the fields were frost covered and glistening in the morning sun,

So Cyclone Bombs brought some darkness with the rain and wind but the sunny aftermath is worth it for the clear skies, sunshine, snow covered peaks, waterfalls we can enjoy after the fact.