I'm the luckiest unlucky person I've ever met. (I wrote this Monday night but am posting now).
I'll elaborate in just a moment but I'm sure you can make a decent guess at what has happened given my history.
This past weekend I made a quick trip down to Oakville to visit my sister Hilary and meet my brand new nephew Robin! I had a holiday on Friday so I left after work on Thursday, drove a near perfect drive to Matagami (about 600km from Wemindji) and stayed overnight there. I left early the next morning for Oakville and made it in good time and through decent weather. She and her man Mike made every accommodation possible in their hectic and demanding new schedule to allow me to squeeze in as much time with this new perfect addition to the family. I am totally and completely in love with Robin and did not take for granted any moment I had with him and the rest of my family. I planned on driving straight back through on Monday morning to Wemindji, but after I started to feel pretty sick with a cold and hearing the weather had turned to icy and cold up north, I decided to leave Sunday afternoon instead and stay the night in Amos, making the rest of the trip in the daylight and arriving in Wemindji at a decent time. It was a very short but lovely weekend.
So I left Amos this morning after a good sleep at 7:15. I made it to Matagami around 9, bought some groceries and took off north to Wemindji. The drive was fine for the first 100km until it got colder and the roads got slushier and more icy. I reduced my speed, especially around curves and kept my eyes on the road, cautiously avoiding deep potholes and major bumps in the road. As many of you know I have had bad luck with driving the James Bay Highway in the past and have learned that the best way to avoid accidents is to keep a safe speed and don't take risks. So by doing that this trip up I guess I thought I had it covered. I was wroooooooong. At km318 and at 12:34pm, I hit a patch of ice and snow and lost control of my van. I crossed over the median and slid off the road and shoulder into the trees, smashing all the windows on the driver's side, losing the side mirror, scraping and denting the driver's side doors and coming to a halt, stopped by some fir trees.
I was extremely shaken but otherwise unhurt. I was covered in glass and tree and snow. I had small cuts on my hands and feet from glass. I had glass in my hair. Glass on my clothes. Glass in my shoes. Glass in my scarf. Glass in my bra. Glass in my pants!! I quickly turned off my van and got out. I will recount for you the thoughts that were going through my head while exiting the vehicle.
1. Holy sh*t!!!!
2. I'm alive!!!
3. Get out of the car before it blows up!!!
4. Am I bleeding???
5. I have to pee!!
6. Omg!!!
7. My mom is going to kill me!!!
8. Is this van a write off?
9. My mom is going to kill me!!!
10. I cannot afford this!!!
11. I don't have a car!!!
12. I'm flying home at Christmas.
13. I am stuck! Oh god so stuck.
14. Thank god it is daylight.
...and basically those same thoughts repeated over and over again as I shakily got myself through the woods and up the embankment to the road. I immediately took a picture of the van. I don't know.
So I climbed up the embankment and stood by the side of the road for a minute, almost peeing my pants I swear. I was shaking and in shock. I climbed back down and tried to open the passenger doors but they were locked. I needed to grab my coat and scarf and wallet and keys and overnight bag in case I wasn't going to come back to the car.
Since it was locked I had to go back down the embankment and open the driver's door again. I leaned in as far as I could since the car was on an angle and pulled out my keys and unlocked my doors. Then I climbed back up and around to the passenger side and opened the doors and got out my stuff. I climbed back up to the road where a couple of nice Cree people stopped almost immediately and asked me if I was okay. I said yes and asked them where they were going. They were heading to Val d'Or for an appointment, I asked them if they wouldn't mind turning around and taking me to km381, the nearest service station. They obliged and we drove the next 63km in silence as I tried my best not to cry in front of strangers!! I was very lucky to have been spotted only 9 minutes after going off the road. While it was sunny and beautiful, it was cold and I was not properly dressed for the elements. They took me to 381 where I paid for their gas as the only thank you I could give and I have been here ever since (it is now 6pm).
I arrived at 381 at around 1:40, bought a calling card, used the pay phone and immediately called Marsha and left a voicemail asking for help and to be picked up. She found the number for the service station here and called me back and explained that as soon as he could, her wonderful husband Jeremy and friend Vincent would leave Wemindji and come get me, take me to my van, get the rest of my belongings out and take me back home.
In the meanwhile I have been on the pay phone almost constantly, speaking with CAA, the Dodge dealership in Amos, my insurance company, my mom and Marsha and Monika. I have arranged a tow truck to come from Matagami to km318 to pick up my van. Then I called my insurance and started a claim. Then I cried on the phone to my mom a few times. I have never done so much "adulting" before in my life. I do not like being an adult.
Anyways, I'm happy to report that I am still alive, aside from a few scrapes and bruises and a severely bruised ego and bank account. I am waiting for my knights in shining armor to pick me up and take me to get my possessions and proper footwear (I'm wearing my comfy but completely impractical driving flats) from my van and will wait to hear what the plan is after the insurance people get a quote from the mechanics in Amos.
And that my friends is what I did this weekend.
(I was not actually driving FYI)
