Monday, January 28, 2013

My Kingdom for a Snorkel

Today I got on the bus on University and LaGauchetiere at 4:50, as usual. The bus went up University to Rene-Levesque where more people got on, as usual. We continued up University, as usual. When we got to St. Catherine we were suddenly in the middle of AN IRWIN ALLEN PRODUCTION.

Water. Everywhere. The bus stuck on ice in the middle of University. Spinning tires. Bus fishtailing. Not advancing. Freezing water all around the bus. We made it to the corner of deMaisonneuve but couldn't make the turn because there was too much ice. All the passengers went to the back of the bus to make some weight at the back. After about 20 attempts we got around the corner. We all clapped, foolishly thinking our ordeal was over....

...but it wasn't.  We got stuck again at deMais and Metcalfe. Spinning tires, flood waters all around.  I was afraid I would have to swim like Shelly. Firemen had to guide the bus in reverse back to McGill College so we could turn. It was surreal.

I got home in just over 2 hours. I wondered if Mr. Anon was trapped in his office.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The fireman wasn't Steve McQueen by any chance, was he?

Of course, in true Irwin Allen fashion you would have made it to the top of Sherbrooke, the brakes would have given out, the bus driver would have had a heart attack, you would have slid backwards down to Ste, Catherine, you taking control of the wheel in an attempt to keep control while the rest of the hysterical passengers screamed.

Knuckles G.

Anonymous said...

After commenting above, I turned the TV on and saw clips of the flooding streets...and one woman slipping and getting pulled by the water's force.

It really was Irwin Allen-esque!!!

Knuckles G.

Anonymous said...

I was delayed by only 10 minutes, but man was it bad out there. I saw a taxi stuck at McGill and Sherbrooke and as a salt truck passed, it lost control and slid on the ice right into it. Irwin Allen indeed!

My office is open today, but I will have to take a very long detour to get into it by the back door, as all normal channels in are blocked.

The girl sliding down the street went right by my office - I heard people talk about it before I got home and saw it on the news.

Nanuk of the North, older but no wiser said...

It's like that Monty Python sketch where people are falling by the office window. Come on, Parkie!

cityofmushrooms said...

where is charleton heston when you need him??

Anonymous said...

Scotty?