Thirty Years Ago on the Beach - #15 road back to MoBay

We were scheduled to head to the airport on Thursday. That didn't seem likely with the road blocked. There was 50 miles of road between here and MoBay, so far we had seen about 200 feet cleared by the Native Son.

We set out to see if anyone else wanted to head to the airport in the next few days. Finding a couple at the Treehouse, our total was 6. Next we needed to locate a willing driver.

There was plenty of drivers who were interested but we needed to find one that had a full tank of gas in the van. After a couple days, we settled on a driver and proceeded to make final plans for the journey.

The plan was to set out early Saturday mornings. From our previous experience the ride to the airport would take between 4 and 5 hours. This would not be on the new road that anyone who has visited Negril since the early 2000's, but the old road that snaked its way along the coastline.

Days passed and the air filled with the smell of death. There was rotting fruit from the downed trees and carcasses of animals that did not make it through the hurricane. It was a very unsettling aroma.

By Saturday, as we had hoped, the boulevard was free to traverse.This was not due to any government assistance, but from the diligent work of the local owners taking care of their own areas. We knew there would be some places that we would need to clear so we had several pairs of work gloves on hand in the van. We also kept a supply of soft drinks ready. There was no such thing as bottled water yet in Negril.

Just before dawn the driver picked us up. We met the other couple at the Treehouse and started our trek. The ride started smoothly. As with Negril, the trees were down everywhere and that same pungent odor filled the air. It was smooth sailing to Green Island where we encountered the one lane bridge. There was no traffic so we made it easily over the bridge and continued heading north.

Our progress was slow, but steady. The road had been cleared rather well most of the way to Lucea. There were only a few spots where we had to stop and move some trees and boards out of our path.

At Lucea, traffic was non-existent. The driver stopped at the gas station but there was no gas because of the lack of current. No way to pump the gas. The driver seemed a bit tense but assured us that all was fine. We each had a warm soft drink and started back on our way.

From Lucea the trip started fine. but soon the road was blocked. There were already a few groups from the neighboring areas clearing stretches so we joined in. Soon we were on our way.

As we went up a small hill, once again we had to get out and clear the way. This was a bit more difficult, especially when we noticed that we were actually in a driveway, we could make out the main road beneath us toward the sea. There were no initial indications that this was someone's yard as the house had been ripped away and dashed against a group of trees about 100 yards away down a ravine. We backed down the drive and got to work on the main road.

We had been on the road for nearly 12 hours now and had not reached Mobay. It was getting dark so we found a spot to park and spent the evening under the stars. It was a forced camping situation but all in all not a bad place to be.

As the sun rose in the morning, we headed out. There were more places blocked, more boards and zinc to move, but we continued on. As we approached a hill near Sandy Bay, the van began to sputter and rolled to a stop, up hill. We were out of gas.

No one said anything. What was there to say? We all got out of the van and wandered around for a minute when we heard the sound of a truck horn behind us. Like a wish that was granted, a gasoline truck came up the hill and parked in front of us. After greeting us, the truck driver pulled out the hose and filled up our gas tank. He refused money, told us to have a great day and drove off. Now you don't see that happen every day.

The road from Sandy Bay into MoBay was clear and made an easy trip into town. The traffic lights were out so it made crossing the intersections interesting.

At the top of the high road we spotted the airport!

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