A Seattle Bomb Cyclone?

Before I get to the outrageous title, I want to say, for the record, that I am a very prompt person. I am always on time but cannot publish a newsletter by the first of the month to save my life. It seems that we are always traveling the first week of the month. So, I apologize once again. We are currently in Toronto and heading home.

Oh boy, November was a rough one. I’m glad it went by so fast. It is not my nature to report on negative things; however, this one is a doozy and rather interesting. We had just arrived home from an extraordinary tour of Patagonia, and then the Seattle Bomb Cyclone hit. What?

The Seattle Bomb Cyclone and Blackout

Have you ever heard of a bomb cyclone? It’s a severe weather phenomenon no one has ever heard of, and we had one in the PNW. A bomb cyclone is “a large, intense midlatitude storm with low pressure at its center, weather fronts, and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation.” It blew trees down everywhere on the east side of Seattle and made a massive mess of the roads with 500,000+ people without power.

What did this mean for us? We were without power for five days. No electricity, which meant no Wifi, of course, freezing temps, and then on top of that, we had no cell service. At the onset, I considered it an adventure, but after two days, it wasn’t fun anymore. We initially used camping lanterns; thank you, son-in-law (SIL). I hand-lit the gas range burners and whipped up delightful meals, trying to use up what we had in the refrigerator. Eventually, the food spoiled, I was constantly cold, and we had to drive 30 minutes away to catch a cell signal!

My workaholic husband was losing his mind.

And rightly so.

Craig had so many people counting on him and no way to reach them. We eventually figured out that downtown Seattle had POWER – Cue the Angel music. So we packed up our overnight bags, Rocco the dog and his accoutrement, and headed to the Hyatt Regency Seattle.

We knew Hyatt would allow dogs to stay, so we moved into our temporary shelter. However, we did not leave Rocco alone in the hotel room for fear of him barking, so we had to bring food to our room (fun for one meal, not nine). It was madness. Craig was on the phone, Rocco wanted attention, and I was trying to write. To be clear and defend my sweet Rocco, he is not really a barker, but you know there are strangers with voices outside the door, and he needed to protect us.

Almost three days later, we packed up and went home. Our daughter and SIL had their power restored much sooner and no longer needed their emergency generator. Our thoughtful SIL spent a lot of time hooking it up for us at our home, and just as they were ready to turn it on, the power came on two days early, unexpectedly. The total outage was to be at least seven days, but we ended up with five, almost six days. Still a loooong time.

This experience taught me so much. I really appreciate and cherish hot water, heat, and the ability to make fresh food. I also found this experience to be so disorienting and distracting, and hard to concentrate on anything. I have always sympathized with people who suffer through natural disasters, but you don’t know what you don’t know; I am grateful. We met many displaced people at the Hyatt who suffered bigger tragedies from the Seattle Bomb Cyclone than we did.

Thanks for listening.

The Good Stuff in November:

We attended a gorgeous wedding in Southern California – So fun to see old friends and celebrate such a beautiful couple. We enjoyed a walk in the harbor, too.

We saved a turkey and made handmade pasta for Thanksgiving.

It was just the six of us – Daughter, SIL, and the twins, so we had a little pasta-making session—so different and fun.

December is a BIG travel Month!

• Toronto
• Southern California
• London and Paris

I return in early January… So, guess what? The newsletter will be late, AGAIN.

Travel Connections Podcast

In case you missed the last episode of Season #3 of Travel Connections:

A Lovely Conversation with Elizabeth Poett – The Ranch Table

Season #4 Begins Friday, February 7th – Patagonia!

Take good care, and enjoy the holidays.

Sending my best to you,

Suzanne

The post November Adventures and A Seattle Bomb Cyclone appeared first on Adventures of Empty Nesters.

Suzanne Stavert Travel Writer and Podcast Host

Suzanne Stavert is a podcast host, travel writer, brand ambassador, and culinary explorer who inspires empty nesters—and anyone with a sense of adventure—to explore the world with curiosity and joy. She is the creator of AdventuresofEmptyNesters.com, a travel and lifestyle website that has evolved into partnerships with top brands and destinations around the globe.

Suzanne also created and hosts the podcast Travel Connections, where she interviews chefs, entrepreneurs, authors, and travel experts, sharing stories that connect people through travel, food, and culture. Through her company Travel Connections Tours, she leads small-group adventures in Tuscany, combining her lifelong love of Italy with authentic travel experiences.

A recognized expert in the Empty Nester Community, Suzanne has been recently featured on Good Morning America and USA Today and continues to share her passion for meaningful travel across six continents. One continent to go!