Other than my little ones, about the only issue that I am as proud of producing is my Jeep. I know which is this sort of a lame and stereotypical guy point to say, but I mean it. I meticulously planned, created and created this complete device of a jeep above the earlier three decades and it has been my chariot of lots of epic adventures all the whilst. You can test out #tinythejeep to see everything that I mean.
On Tuesday March 19th, I experienced some time to kill between dropping the littlest kiddo off at a spring break day camp and having to pick him up once again at noon. It was a delightful charming sunny working day so I considered it’s possible a drive up Cypress Mountain may well be in get. I drove up to the major lookout with my Hasselblad, took a panorama, grabbed a shot of the boats in English bay. Played with the depth of field alongside a fence that led to an unremarkable outhouse and continued on up the mountain.
I drove up to the Picnic lookout, parked, walked in excess of to the edge to realize that in the earlier 15 decades the trees have developed up to make it not significantly of a lookout any more. I took a photograph of The jeep as I almost constantly do when I am strolling back again with my digital camera. Hopped back in and drove up to the only off-roading you can do in the North Vancouver limits. I am conversing about that unmaintained street that requires you previous all of the cabins to the trailheads close to Hollyburn cabin and Hollyburn Lodge. Which is just a gravel road most of the time, but in the winter it can be a kilometre of an epic snow wheeling adventure.
I built it all the way up the path irrespective of there staying plenty of snow and no real fresh tracks, due to the fact Tiny The Jeep is an complete device. It will happily plow as a result of snow that is bumper deep and request for extra. I did deal with to get caught for a transient minute at the incredibly close of the path in the transform close to but a quick winch and I experienced myself out with out trouble. This is what Small The jeep was built to do.
I ongoing up Cypress Bowl Street and I toured about the Downhill ski location as properly as the cross region Nordic observe parking great deal. Mainly looking at what there was to see and just killing some time with my camera. Sooner or later at about 11AM I started out back down the mountain but on my way down I noticed this amazing view of Bowen Island and the Strait of Georgia which I see each time I go up Cypress Highway but on this individual journey the snow experienced melted plenty of that there was a position to properly pull above and park on the facet of the street.
I pulled in excess of and parked, grabbed my digital camera bag and my tripod and hopped up on the snowbank to consider a picture but in less than a moment there was any person driving by frantically honking their horn yelling at me.
My jeep was on fire.
I basically dropped the Hasselblad in the snow and I Straight away grabbed the fire extinguisher from the passenger aspect and I ran around to the driver side to see that there was a fireplace swiftly increasing at the rear of the jeep. I hosed it down with the extinguisher and gave it a fast appear to see if it was obvious to the bring about. Viewing absolutely nothing other than the flood of yellow powder that is the aftermath of a fireplace extinguisher I thanked the human being who experienced warned me profusely for virtually conserving my pleasure and pleasure. He took off down the hill and I ran up on the lender to rescue my digicam out of the snow when dejavu strike me as a different individual that was driving by, started out honking their horn to allow me know that my jeep was continue to on fire.
Hearth extinguisher however in hand, I ran again all around to give it a further dose. Regrettably this time my fire extinguisher was really much spent, and I was not able to end the flames that were being now expanding promptly. I started throwing snow at the jeep, but it was by now far too late. Right after a minute 1 of the bystanders that experienced pulled over strongly proposed that we get much absent as there was very little else we could do. I went to phone 911 when I recognized my cell phone, my keys, my wallet and even my glasses (I was wearing my prescription sunglasses) ended up all sitting down on the dash. A person was kind plenty of to phone 911 and inform the hearth division, but all I could do was just stand and enjoy #little as the Jeep burnt to the floor.
I borrowed a bystander’s (thank you to all the strangers that served you are all a godsend) cellphone to get in touch with my associate who was basically in the dentist chair to permit her know that she would have to select up the kiddos from their respective enjoy dates and day camps and then just sat and watched as the fire raged on.
The compact crowd that had gathered and I waited for what seemed like permanently, but in reality was probably 8 to 10 minutes for the hearth section to arrive. They arrived with a truck and did what they could to put the fireplace out, but in all it took two hearth truck masses of h2o to sooner or later get the fireplace out. The law enforcement and a tow truck arrived to load up what was left of #tinythejeep and I made my way household.
And because then… the aftermath.
On the way I was nonetheless in the thick of the minute jumping into motion. There ended up factors that necessary to occur and I could concentrate on performing them. I was mentally generating the listing:
- I need to have to contact icbc to make a assert,
- I need to have to call to get new eyeglasses,
- I will require to make an appointment at icbc to get a new license
I need to have to do all these things… Permit’s prioritize them, what initial? Call to make a claim… reach for my phone… ahh fracking hell!! Alright mobile phone first…. Okay the place are my truck keys… proper they were being in the Jeep. Where by are my spare keys for the truck? 20 min seeking later on I had my keys, my passport… shit I am going to will need to pay for this all…. Dig close to for that spare visa that I never use… alright!! I obtained it all… off to substitute the phone…
It was like that for a day or two and I did a great career at maintaining hectic. Things like getting a new driver’s license. Going to the lender and having new debit playing cards and credit history cards, filing my declare with ICBC, having that new cell phone and reconnecting to all my outdated applications like the BC solutions application so I could even log into ICBC. Finding my reading through glasses so I can see indoors, buying new eyeglasses. Building certain the truck is up to becoming a day-to-day driver, gathering all the facts about my Jeep, receipts and listing items that were in it, renewing the truck insurance policy, obtaining some new keys slash for the home and the truck, tracking down this and that.
All the problems to solve, complications to remedy, complications to remedy. This all did a superior position of preserving my thoughts off of points, but there were being usually these minor things that held bringing my intellect again to the leading of the mountain.
Like when I go to make my morning coffee and 20 seconds into seeking for my travel mug, only to comprehend that it was in the Jeep. Or likely to get my coat, only to comprehend that it was in the Jeep. Heading to put my look at on the charger, only to recognize that it was in the Jeep.
This frantic difficulty solving power also did a wonderful job of holding me from obtaining to seriously consider about what experienced really happened. It was whilst waiting in line for some thing that I looked down and my overall hands and arms had been shaking. I was getting a bit of a fight breathing and there was a foundation amount of worry that was washing about me. Then this realization hit me really hard. The jeep was in all probability on hearth when I was driving about and I likely would not have recognized. I am contacting it lucky that I happened to stop for the random photograph, I am contacting it blessed that I was by itself in the Jeep at the time. I am contacting it fortunate that this didn’t come about around my property or other peoples automobiles and have confidence in me when I say that each possible situation of what COULD have took place has been operating about and more than in my thoughts each and every night time considering that.
It also strike me that the chance for actually endless adventure that was doable with Little had long gone up in flames, too. That capability to go and do quite much something with what I experienced made may well be gone endlessly.
Honestly, except if there is one more worldwide pandemic, I don’t assume I would have the time, vitality, or skill to create a different jeep to the extent that I experienced with #tinythejeep and sadly based mostly on what I am reading through on-line about other persons’s encounter with their ICBC claims, I am extremely fearful that I would not have the cash to do it anyway 🙁
But mainly, if you are examining this – I am creating this single resource of truth of the matter here mostly so I really do not have to relive this full working experience each time I have to retell this tale to everybody, in excess of and over.
“No you are right, it is so good that no 1 was harm.”
“Nope I have no thought what begun the fireplace.”
“Well yes it did in truth suck to enjoy my pride and joy burn off to the ground, many thanks for asking”
“No I have not listened to anything at all from ICBC, other than I have to wait”
“Yes, with any luck , they can figure out what induced the fire”
“No, I am not tremendous fascinated in listening to about your cousins/mates/housekeepers drama with their ICBC claim”
So my humble ask to all that know me is to comprehend when I say that I actually do not want to chat about it.
I cannot.
I will update by means of socials when I have a little something to update with. I like you all but I actually would enjoy it if my next 6 months of own interactions didn’t entail a telling and retelling of this tale.
Right up until then – so how about that climate?