Deep Freeze Beauty - and Danger
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
Many of you may have read about sea fog in my previous blog, and those of you that know me probably figured I was chomping at the bit to go out during our latest deep freeze to enjoy and photograph the show. Indeed, I was. My concern was with the forecast for steep northwest winds - which would normally serve to blow the sea fog AWAY from shore, and make it more difficult to see, despite the frigid temperatures. As such, I sat down with a map and found a section of shore that faced northwest -- in other words - the winds would be blowing this lovely concoction directly towards me to enjoy during a lovely, partly cloudy sunrise. Planning was perfect. Execuction was perfect. Outcome was still unexpected. I was up at 3:30 am, made sure the car would start since it was -22 at my house with gusts over 50mph according to my weather station. Reluctant as the vehicle was, we slowly made our way to the destination point in time to see the full moon set, and the sun rise.
Perhaps the first rude awakening came when I attempted to exit the car - as usual, from the driver's side - camera and tripod in hand. I was instantly knocked to the ground, my door was heavily slammed, and there was a strange noise coming from behind the car. I stumbled back into the car, only to discover that the wind was still gusting like crazy. How could this be, all the doors were closed? Come to find out, the force of the wind when I opened the door had actually blown the rear window right out! Luckily, it wasn't broken, and once I was able to move the car to a more wind sheltered location, I was able to replace it. Slightly shaken, I considered this life lesson number one from this particular storm. But the sight of the full moon setting in the sea smoke....!
The next stunning observation was the amount of rime ice present. Everything - and I mean everything - the plants, rocks, trees, road, and eventually - my car -- was heavily coated. You may wonder looking at the photo (which is NOT black and white - that is how it looked in real life!) what the difference between rime and hoar frost is. Rime is a deposit of interlocking ice crystals which form by direct sublimation on objects - both the object AND the air have to be below freezing, and the liquid drops (as in sea fog) must also be present. For hoar frost - the object itself must be below freezing but the air can be above freezing. And water VAPOR (not droplets!) are the source of the moisture - so frost will form on clear, cold nights which are usually still. Which this night absolutely was not!
As I was sitting with the flashers on (the fog was so dense you couldn't see anything on the road) and exercising my new plan of crawling around from window to window inside the car to photograph (always leaving the opposite window cracked for the wind to escape without damage) an official vehicle pulled up next to me to inquire if everything was ok (and politely avoided asking if I was crazy!). I was told that the road had been closed, it was too dangerous for travel - and that I should take my photos and move along. It was a one way section, so I would be forced to travel the length of it to exit the danger. Shortly after the truck moved down the road, a tree crashed directly ahead of me, mostly blocking the road. I was able to drive around it on the shoulder - but feeling shaken, I took the advice to mosey along promptly. However, I couldn't help taking some photos on the way.
The sights and sounds were astonishing. Gulls and ducks struggling to fly into the wind. Visibility coming and quickly fading. Day turning to night turning to pink and then to blue followed by the sun being shaded out by the fog. Waves crashing. And the part that I found frightening - the sound of trees falling everywhere. Rime adds a tremendous amount of weight to the branches and trunk, and particularly if the tree is not deeply rooted, can contribute to tip ups. Those trees that are firmly rooted simply snap - often mid trunk - under the weight. And branches and needles were falling everywhere. When rime is associated with somewhat consistent winds (NW in this case) - airborne water droplets are blown across exposed surfaces, creating a "flag type effect" - where ice deposits on the branches in the direction of the wind - resulting in an asymmetric weight distribution and then breaking of the branch (or tree). I was constantly driving around downed branches....and on multiple occasions, full sized trees in the road.
I was honestly relieved when I turned the corner, symbolizing a move to a more sheltered cove and the near end of the one way road - my path to safety. As I came around the corner, however - ma nature had a trick waiting. The largest tree yet was across the road. I braved out of the car to walk the length of the massive beauty, hoping to find a way to get around it. It wasn't possible. And that is when life lesson number 2 came to mind. Never, ever leave home during a major storm without the chainsaw. The only way out was now blocked. I decided the only safe option was to turn around and drive approximately 5 miles travelling the wrong way on a one way road in poor visibility. I was hoping everyone had respected the road closed signs. Partway back, I encountered a fire rescue vehicle and stopped to explain my decision. The super nice first responders made sure I was comfortable finishing the drive and advised me if I was too afraid, they would be clearing the blockage behind me soon. I continued - and when they were done, they circled back to make sure I was ok. Kudos to those brave men that were looking out for my well being even when I wasn't smart enough to stay home. :)
It was an awe-inspiring, if frightening, demonstration of mother natures' power, beauty, and glory. As anxious as I was to return to safety, I also regretted that I was unable to photograph some of the incredible sights I witnessed. It is hard to relay the helpless feeling when the wind is so strong that you can't open the car door, stand up, or even hold a camera out the window still enough to capture anything more than a blur! While listening to the giants of the woods succumbing to the storm, I felt as small and insignificant as an ant working a mound in a field. It was a healthy reminder of my place in this world - but I will admit that despite the significant epinephrine surge, part of me thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
And I had another amazing experience this week - one that caused me to wing my car off the road and almost into a ditch. Good thing I was in a rural area surrounded by fields. :) While driving - I saw the amazing bird below actively kiting and hunting the fields. Although my initial identification proved incorrect - a consult with 2 ornithologists still left me quite excited by my sighting. Can YOU make the difficult identification that I couldn't? Pop over to my instagram account to get the answer -- and for those of you that don't have instagram, you can email me if your curiosity is just killing you. If you like my posts, please follow me on instagram, or email me to subscribe to these blogs!
