As I mentioned in my last post, Matthew was stuck on the other side of a road closure on Friday night. That road closure? STILL IN EFFECT.
I thought it was a rockslide, but I heard it wrong. There have been no rocks that have been sliding down the mountain.
Yet.
The real problem is that there is a very deep, very wide fissure in the mountainside. Click HERE for photos. Also: HERE.
There are homes down below that are in danger of being obliterated completely.
Not. Cool.
The highway is closed indefinitely. This would not normally affect my wee family, but Matthew is heading out on a business trip to Toronto tomorrow and is flying out of Kelowna. All of the travel he has been doing this past week is enough to wear out this fragile heart of mine.
He will be safe. He will be safe. He will be safe.
Amen.
There are many people who use that highway for both personal and business purposes. We thought it would be good to post the back-road route for those who want to get to Kelowna without having to make a four-hour detour.
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Here is the map crafted by Matthew:
Here are his additional instructions:
ROUTE: Glen Lake Service Road
TIME: Faulder to Peachland, approximately 1 hour if you have back roads experience
RECOMMENDATIONS: To be driven by a truck. 4WD not necessary. If you do not have back roads experience, please drive in daylight hours.
COMMENTS: I drove the road on Friday, October 24th. There were good-sized potholes and washboard roads. If you are careful while driving you can maneuver them. It was a little muddy in some areas. There was a recent wind storm that blew down a number of trees. They had been cleared from the road, but if there is another storm please be advised that blockages may occur. There is no cell service, so make sure you are comfortable in driving a rougher road. I am not sure if the Glen Lake Forest Service Road (FSR) is an active FSR, but whenever traveling a FSR always use caution for logging trucks.
ROUTE: Trout Creek Service Road
TIME: My brother took this route on Friday October 24th and it took two hours from Peachland to Summerland.
RECOMMENDATIONS: This road is better, and can be done in a car or truck.
COMMENTS: The road was in good shape but there was snow on the summit.
I do recommend some back roads experience when driving on Forest Service Roads. Please remember that it could be a very long wait if you run into trouble, as there is no cell service.
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If you need any other help, please feel free to email me: dutchblitzin AT gmail DOT com.
We’re just doing what we can to help our community. Peace out.
10 Comments
Wow, those photos were pretty serious. The whole thing sounds pretty serious. I will pray for safety for you, your family, your friends and loved ones. You are so kind to share your knowledge of the “back roads” in a bid to help others.
Hannah’s last blog post..Random thoughts
Comment by Hannah on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:01 pmYikes, that looks really frightening. I hope they can stabilize it soon and get the highway back open safely.
Kami’s last blog post..There’s a Buzz Around Here
Comment by Kami on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:16 pmHopefully they can decide whether to blast it / watch it / monitor it soon and save the locals (such as yourselves) any loss!
Those slides can be extremely scary and very dangerous.
sam {temptingmama}’s last blog post..Check Your Sexism At The Door Mister
Comment by sam {temptingmama} on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:55 pmThat’s so nice of you guys!
And the geology geek in me finds the photos very cool, so thanks for that link.
Hope it all works out ok for everyone nearby
Victoria’s last blog post..Sorry
Comment by Victoria on October 26th, 2008 @ 7:49 pmThat’s really awesome of you guys to do this. I hope it saves some people time and effort and worry!
ALSO, Matthew will be just fine during his travels in the coming little while! 
Meg’s last blog post..To Do: Part Two
Comment by Meg on October 26th, 2008 @ 7:53 pmIt is pretty scary. I heard it may be re opened tomorrow or Tuesday. There is also alot of info at arthon.com and Castanet there are quite a few forums about it. I am glad we are on the other side of it!
Comment by kelly on October 26th, 2008 @ 8:30 pmWe had emailed the above to Arthon. It was up for a bit and then they took it down. We’re thinking they are worried about liability…so we posted it here
That’s awesome guys! All my fam is in Kelowna, but one never knows where one might be when, ya know? I was totally wondering how….Thanks so much! Is Arthon like castanet?
Comment by Mel on October 26th, 2008 @ 8:40 pmArthon is the company who is doing the highway widening project. Castanet is a local website about Kelowna
Wow dude. I wish someone had done something like this when the mudslide happened by Terrace!
Mrs. Wilson’s last blog post..If I HAVE to
Comment by Mrs. Wilson on October 26th, 2008 @ 5:56 pm