Ice Road Survival

No we didn’t lose power. I haven’t posted mostly because I caught a cold and they make me stupid. My brain just doesn’t function. I have been out and about though.

A friend and I were supposed to go to Saint John on Monday, however it took 2 hours just to go the 53 miles to Calais. The freezing rain and snow did make a mess. We stopped at Morgan’s for gas and were warned not to take the shortcut. I’m sure the roads would have cleared up but there was no way to make our appointment so we just came home.

I’ve mentioned the ripple effect of the Coronavirus and the impact its already having on the lobster fishery. The market price is now so low there are boats not planning to go out for the spring season – they’d lose money as soon as they left the dock.

A lot of fishermen are highly leveraged. They have boat loans, truck loans, mortgages, and credit card debt. Things could get ugly.

I guess to be accurate I should refer to the new Coronavirus – SARS was one as well – and obviously the health crisis is the most important/horrible/devastating issue.

Having said that, the world’s economy is so dependent on trade that the effects will be felt all over. I’ve seen articles about a negative impact on shrimp, tuna, grouper, crabs, and more fisheries. There won’t be any other industries which don’t feel pain but seafood hits home on this isolated Island in the middle of nowhere.

It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, that the market for wrinkles shut down. (They’re actually winkles [sea snails].) Going out at low tide and harvesting the little darlings is a cold, wet, miserable job but it does bring in some money when other fisheries are closed.

Once the market disappeared, a friend wanted to go to the Park and retrieve his 4-wheeler. He wasn’t going to leave it there through the coming storms if it wasn’t needed to go wrinkling. This meant he needed a ride to its location. On roads which have not been plowed, are coated in 3 inches of rutted ice, and bordered by forest and/or deep ditches. Guess who was volunteered.

Ice Road Truckers face the risk of falling through the ice into frigid water. I didn’t. However, it was carefully pointed out to me that the trees and ditches were in play. (Thanks!) It took 20 minutes to go 2 miles. Fish loved it because he got to ride on a 4-wheeler tucked inside a jacket. Next time he can drive.

Sorry Ahuva – I did not take pictures of this little adventure. I was busy. 🙂