There is a difference between checking the weather and living in the weather.
In Bamfield, we live in it.
At Argo’s Landing, we are right on the water's edge. When you look out the windows, there isn't a city between you and the weather. There aren't buildings blocking the view or traffic rushing past.
There is water.
Forest.
Sky.
And whatever the Pacific has decided to send us that day.
Yes, It Rains Here
Let's get that out of the way.
It rains in Bamfield.
A lot.
Depending on the climate period and weather station used, Bamfield receives somewhere around three metres of precipitation in an average year. Historical Environment Canada climate data recorded approximately 3,000 mm annually at Bamfield East.
But saying “it rains a lot” doesn't really explain west coast weather.
Sometimes it rains so hard that you wonder how there could possibly be that much water in the sky.
Then half an hour later, the clouds break.
The sun comes out.
Everything is dripping and sparkling.
And there is a rainbow stretching across the inlet.
The weather doesn't necessarily settle in for the day.
It moves.
You Learn to Watch the Sky
When you live here, you stop expecting the weather to behave itself.
A grey morning doesn't necessarily mean a grey afternoon.
Sunshine doesn't guarantee it won't be raining in twenty minutes.
Fog moves in and changes everything.
Wind comes up off the coast.
Rain arrives.
Rain leaves.
The clouds lift.
The light changes.
And because Argo’s Landing sits right at the water, you get to watch all of it happen.
Sometimes the best entertainment in the house is simply looking out the window.
The Fog Changes Everything
Fog is one of my favourite kinds of Bamfield weather.
It makes the world smaller.
The distant shoreline begins to disappear. The water and sky blend together. Sounds seem different.
And somehow, you stop looking so far ahead.
There is something about fog that brings you back to exactly where you are.
You make your coffee.
Sit down.
Look out the window.
And for a while, that is enough.
Then You Hear the Whistle Buoy
There are sounds that become part of living in a place.
In Bamfield, one of those sounds is the whistle buoy.
On quiet nights, you can hear it in the distance.
You may be lying in bed with the windows closed, the house dark and the inlet outside, and somewhere out there comes that familiar whistle.
It reminds you that beyond the protection of the inlet is the Pacific Ocean.
It's difficult to explain why that sound is comforting.
But it is.
The Wind Has Its Own Show
Being on the coast means wind.
And the eagles seem to understand it better than we ever will.
Sometimes you can watch them playing in the currents above the water, barely appearing to move their wings as the wind carries them.
Other birds sweep past the windows.
The trees move.
The water changes.
The waves build.
You don't have to go searching for nature here.
Nature comes to you.
You Begin to Hear Things Again
One of the things I notice about being at Argo’s Landing is how much you can hear when the other noise disappears.
The waves.
Rain hitting the windows.
Wind.
Birds.
The whistle buoy somewhere in the distance.
A boat moving through the inlet.
And then periods when there is almost nothing at all.
Quiet.
Real quiet.
Don't Wait for the Perfect Day
People sometimes plan holidays around good weather.
In Bamfield, I think you miss something if that's what you're waiting for.
Put on your raincoat.
Wear waterproof boots.
Go for a walk in the rain.
Come home wet and make something hot to drink.
Watch a storm from the window.
Notice how completely different the inlet looks in the morning than it did the night before.
And when the sun suddenly appears, go outside.
Because it may disappear again.
That's part of the fun.
Come Live in the Weather for a While
Maybe that's one of the things we offer at Argo’s Landing that we don't talk about enough.
You aren't protected from nature here.
You're surrounded by it.
You hear it when you fall asleep.
You see it when you wake up.
You watch rain move across the water and fog swallow the shoreline. You hear the waves and the distant whistle buoy. You watch eagles playing in the wind and rainbows appearing after a downpour.
The weather doesn't have to be perfect.
In fact, sometimes the imperfect days are the ones you remember.
So when you come to Argo’s Landing, don't just check the forecast.
Come live in the weather.