(We’ll be here for a few days waiting out weather)

Ocean falls used to be a town of 4,000 people. That’s SIZABLE for the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere. There used to be a mill here, and the largest hotel west of… Idk some town. (Haha)

A dam was built and power lines put up to give power to ‘nearby’ towns.

Somewhere along the line… Everything started to shut down. I think it started with the mill, but I’m not sure.

Now… About 65 people live here. There’s only a handful of jobs available. It’s a ghost town, where the wilderness is reclaiming what was taken from it.

We arrived on a beautiful day, sun was shining, we got ice cream cones, and walked around the neighborhood.

It was weird to say “whoa, cars” when we stepped off the dock. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a car. Can’t help but think about how different of reality it is for people who do live out here.

I talked to the woman who runs the only business in town, a B&B.

Her name is Toni. She said there are about 65 ppl who live here.

Today happened to be ‘doctor day.’ … Here’s how residents receive medical care… Someone has an ailment, they call a doctor to come visit from a ‘neighboring’ town. The doctor then notifies the rest of the town that they will be in on x day, and if anyone else needs to be seen for anything, they can make an appointment on that day. The doctor comes in on the ferry, stays for a day/night and leaves the next morning.

This happens about once every couple months.

Groceries… There is a barge that delivers groceries about every 2 weeks. It takes the barge 10 days to get them after all the other stops that come first. Fresh foods go bad by the time the groceries arrive. Toni was very excited that her son recently built her a green house. She said “I cannot wait until next summer when I can have lettuce and tomatoes!! Without a greenhouse, nothing can grow here, because it’s too cold and rainy most of the year. And I’m so tired of potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage”

Her reality is different than mine, and I can’t help but I think of when someone says “get in touch with reality” because… What really even is reality except our own experiences??

Cruising changes me. My thoughts open up. My heart softens. My hands get stronger with calluses. I’m growing. We’re all growing.

There is a small bakery here (owned by the b&b) but there was a mix up and they didn’t get their flour on the barge. They won’t have anything for sale until the next barge comes in. Bummer, I could really use a loaf of bread right now, but we’ll be in Shearwater soon enough. And hopefully there will be bread there.

Now, it’s very rainy and quite windy. I’m thankful to be on a dock, with power to run our little space heater, to dry the condensation on the inside of the boat.

Our solar panels can’t keep up with our power needs (Starlink and computers) when we have 3 days or more of back to back clouds.

It’s a good day to catch up on some computer work, and stay hunkered down inside.

Also, Maui threw up this morning, and didn’t eat her breakfast. I gave her some pepcid. Hopefully she will feel better soon.

View from the foredeck of SV Yahara sailing into the sunny inlet approaching Ocean Falls

Inside the abandoned hotel at Ocean Falls with crumbling walls and debris on the floor

The Little Liquor Store, a small wooden building and one of the few businesses in Ocean Falls

Boats docked at the Ocean Falls marina surrounded by steep mountains on a sunny day

Ocean Falls marina on a foggy rainy day with low clouds covering the mountains

Heavy rain streaming down the porthole window while hunkered down at Ocean Falls

Rain-soaked daisies with water droplets along a roadside in Ocean Falls

Maui wearing her blue raincoat walking on the quiet road through Ocean Falls

Close-up of rain droplets on hemlock branches with small pinecones in Ocean Falls

Brian and Rachel working on laptops at the salon table below deck on a rainy day