I found myself with my odd collection of refugees at the ranch on highway 69. 63 was a parking lot and they weren't letting us go that way so we waited and listened to the radio and scanner. All around the city the evacuation was in full swing as people found themselves fleeing from the place they had, considered safest.
I was left with time to think as we waited to be allowed south, Eden having already past 69 and being down 881. So I did what any reasonable person would and called my insurance company, TD. The connection was garbage but I was able to establish that I was well covered and had no worries in that respect.
It was time for retrospect, I had left my bugout bag and Mare's Leg. I had only the clothes on my back and my broken in hiking boots. My sister had snacks and drinks to keep the little ones occupied as we waited. The Jeep was left running to protect the occupants who could not wander around the ranch.
After several hours that felt like days we received word that the ranch was to be evacuated as well. By a stroke of luck we found that the northbound lanes of 63 had been converted to South as well, allowing us to make excellent time and to avoid most of the traffic. Along the way I spotted my buddy Karl in his Jeep, possibly the only person outside of my family I was immediately worried about.
After a snarl up at the turn off to 881 because some fool in his penis enhancer felt the officer directing him had no business preventing him from turning south onto the clearly overloaded highway, we caught up with Karl at Gregoire Lake Estates. He told me how he had stayed until the flames were almost at his house, then had sent his friend back on a dirt bike to retrieve a snake that had been left. We left Karl at Gregoire Lake and continued on.
We were slowed again as we approached Gregoire Lake reserve where dozens of vehicles waited it line in every direction at the single gas station. The Jeep had three quarters of a tank, as I had fueled up the day before just in case. We continued on to Anzac where we discovered a similar event so we parked at a community church just outside Anzac and waited for Eden to return.
Her and Holly had gone to Conklin for fuel and water for the baby and were making their way back to Anzac where Holly's family had gone to the community center. While waiting for Eden I discovered the shorts I was wearing did not protect my legs from the ridiculous amount of mosquitoes that blanketed the area, so my sister gave me a pair of her boyfriend's jeans, now I don't wear jeans so that should tell you something of the situation.
Have you ever seen those movies where the gas runs out or people evacuating flood the gas stations and line up for miles? That's exactly what Anzac and Gregoire Lake looked like as people with not enough gas were forced to wait, or even abandon their vehicles.
When Eden and Holly arrived with Holly's baby Aaliyah, her dog Ace, and her cat. Holly was wearing nothing but short shorts, and a tank top, she had no leash for her dog and it was readily apparent they had made it out with less than we did. Like Sassy Holly's boyfriend was north of the city, and she had nothing with her. I gave her my beloved SOG belt to use as a leash for her dog.
We said goodbye to Holly and Eden joined our little ark as we once again hit the highway headed south, the smoke filling my rear view mirrors as darkness settled. I'll admit it was cramped in the Jeep, Jax had broken Zombie's original container and he now rode in a small plastic case that had originally been a first aid kit, about the size of a deck of cards.
At some point the sake took a shit which is the foulness thing ever in an enclosed space. When we stopped to let Jax pee some kind women stopped to insure we were alright and to make sure we had gas, I assured her we did and she was on her way. We were also on our way, the fuel gauge dropping as the Jeep ate up the now empty highway.
Like a port in a storm we came upon the hamlet of Janvier where a gigantic sign and several very nice people pointed us to a small gas station where we could get food and fuel. We put twenty bucks into the Patriot got lost trying to find bannock and once again we headed south, now certain we would make it to Conklin which was as far as my Sassy would go without her boyfriend.
I fueled up the Jeep and we raided the convenience store for water and food. I bought three bottles of water, a cinnamon bun, a pep and cheddar stick, a bag of Jerky, and a little veggie tray. As of the writing of this part, that was the last time I had vegetables. Sassy's boyfriend wouldn't arrive until at least three am.
While we waited the gas station ran out, the store closed at one am, several hours later than normal. A tow truck driver from AMA showed up with 200 litres for AMA members but though I was a member the Jeep was full and I wasn't taking more than I needed. I met a man who stopped to piss in front of me and told me how he lost his house and two rental properties that were all paid for and uninsured.
There was now more time to think but I refused, instead I just watched. Every so often a convoy of ten or so vehicles would come south past the gas station, some stopping to wait at the now closed pumps, some continued on towards Lac La Biche. At some point a fuel truck arrived and refuelled the station, later a convoy of emergency vehicles headed north.
Aaron finally arrived and we moved Sassy's animals over to his work truck, he had snuck into Gregoire and grabbed a few more things, which opened up room in the Jeep. At his point it was three am and we decided to sleep in the vehicles in the parking lot, this will forever be remembered as a bad idea.
Using a pair of Aaron's pyjama pants as a pillow I had the worst sleep of my life. Unable to lean my seat back because Cindy was behind me I had to keep switching positions every thirty minutes or so. This would make day four another very long day indeed.
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