In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Lyons Flood September 2013
Date: 15 SEP 2013
Topic: Lyons Co Flood
I had a few nice days with Kari (who seems to be doing OK, though I am concerned that she is a bit depressed), this time to an area near Trout Lake, WA in southern Washington, maybe about 100 miles inland
But there is also Lyons that had flooded and will be a very long time rebuilding. An eye opener for me: What community really means (helping each other, no matter what) and why I need to embrace that. We are all in this together.
I have been reading about Dorothea Lange recently. Her live is very interesting. But even more so are her photos plus text. Very much a blog
30 September 2013
I decided I wanted to write and photo about the flood but I decided I need to first write about why I want to write and photograph. What do I hope to gain, to accomplish? I am not sure.
Only that I know that there is a visual existence of the landscape of ‘before’ that now only lives in my mind. And the visual after that many will experience.
And this is a once in a lifetime cataclysmic event, and for that alone I need to capture it.
So let’s start at the beginning:
Each year for the past 3 years, my daughter and I have met for car camping and hiking in the northwest. For 2 years in a row, our destination was Eastern Oregon. This year, we went to a place in Southern Washington called Forlorn Lakes, which is 15 miles or so west of a little town named Trout Lake and near to one of the places that the Pacific Crest Trail traverses. I arrived there on Sunday, she joined me on Monday.
We had a lovely Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: days of short hikes (since her dog is recovering from a joint operation) and daily swims in mountain lakes. Plus good food, thanks to her cooking.
I should say a bit about our hiking: First, there was a walk along an exposed lava tube on the way in. Then, one of the short hikes was a route to an old caldera, and one of the places where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses. We also tried to hike in a spot that was an old lava field but there were no marked trails.
Friday 13 SEP 2013
So there we were, Friday morning, packed up and heading out. We stopped for a nice breakfast at a roadside café in Trout Lake then drove north on a mostly gravel road which dead-ends into Hwy 12 at (name of town here). We cross a river with a scoured bottom which seems so typical of many of NW rivers but could as indicate recent flooding. We stop for one last cup of coffee. Kari heads west, I east, a very scenic but long drive. I think I’ve actually been on this road before, on the 2nd Rainer Trip since it provides access to Mount St. Helens.
I am headed to Yakima to pick up I-?? back to Oregon and I-84. There is another smaller town (Naches) before Yakima where I have cell service (evidently!) as my cell phone starts buzzing with text messages which I rarely get from anyone except Kari. My first thought is that something has happened to her on her way back to Seattle. I take a quick peek and none are from here. A couple have the word ‘flood’.
I continue to drive and before long Sue Hughes is calling from DC where she is visiting her daughter and wondering if I need a place to stay, and if so, her house is available. I say I am somewhere near Yakima and that I am ok. I wonder right away about Gary but this flood thing is not really a concept that I grasp. I think about the various flood warning since I’ve been here and recall that time at Boulder Library watching the creek come rise. I am thinking it’s over it’s banks; the bike trail is closed; that one home oh hwy 36 in Lyons, just across from Apple Valley Road is probably pretty wet. Everything else is a little damp.
Next call is from Priscilla asking if I got her voice mail. No, I haven’t listened to voice mails yet. She is frantic, which gets my attention since she hardly ever shows emotion. She seems to think this event is pretty cataclysmic. I brush it off, mentioning I’m in the 500 year flood plain. She mentions it is a 500 year flood. And by the way, the St Vrain Market has been swept away. This gets my attention and I pull off at the approaching exit and we finish talking.
I drive over to the gas station / convenience store and read thru my texts and emails. There is an email from Greg saying Gary left him a voice mail from my phone on Thursday. All was dry at my house then but Greg has been unable to get Gary either at my house or his. I worry. There is one from Celia asking if we are OK. And one from Jordan asking me to call him ASAP. I begin grasp the enormity of the situation but I can visualize the flooding.
I actually have tried to visualize flooding in Lyons since I believe I am in the 500 year flood zone (turns out I am above the 500 year flood plain…and there really isn’t a documented 1000 flood plain. I decided the hwy east of me would be flooded first. And indeed that did happen.
I call Celia. Somehow she pickup from Jordan that he was in touch with his neighbors the Dix’s who were on facebook with their son, Devin Dix, who is on Facebook with Jordan. Gary is ok. Still I try and call and there is no answer. I do not worry too much since he could not hear the downstairs phone anyway.
Pete Larsen calls and we chat a bit. I call Jim Deming back. Answer texts and emails. Call my parents.
Finally after an hour or two, I am on back on the road and on my way thru the Yakima Valley, one of my favorites. I decide not to take the slow route thru eastern Washington, instead hope on the interstate down to I-84 and stop at LaGrande. There is a rodeo going on. I grab supper, answer more texts and emails, and am back on the road. Next stop is Baker City where I stay at the All Welcome Inn, same place as last year. I finally listen to all my voice mail, including the one from Priscilla and from Gary. Gary’s comments: Yes, Lyons has flooded. In my mind’s eye, I see only the low lying areas with a bit of water. I still do not comprehend the extent and brevity of the situation.
While I was talking to Celia I asked her to peruse the web to find detailed information. In the meantime, Chris Malley sends a photo that makes it look like the McConnell Street Bridge is out – anyway, there is water where the bridge is. I note there is no debris on the far side but the river is really really high. Still I do not grasp the situation.
Celia sends me a UTube video that someone some taken while walking around Lyons. I am absolutely astounded. The St. Vrain Market is there but there is water pouring thru the car wash behind it. Some other takes: Lots of water along the Park Street Area (where the school bridge/foot bridge was); water pouring down from the north on Highway 36 where that Bear Garden is.
This gets my attention…Where is this water coming from? My only thought is that Button Rock exploded and there is so much water coming down the North St. Vrain that it hit that wall just below Planet Bluegrass and down the gash that is Highway 36…which makes me wonder if they blasted thru the rock there to actually make the road. Scenes of the road into town all of which are closed (Deming mentioned that) and the sheriff there. And the highway coming into town is all gravel. I watch and re-watch. I call Kari. Then I try to sleep. That late afternoon diet coke does not help but I do finally fall asleep about 2 AM.
Saturday 14 SEP 2013
Saturday, I am up but not too early. First stop is at Safeway for a purchase of a bottle or two of Hells Canyon Wine. Then back on the road, east on I-84, driving and driving, keeping an eye on email, and trying to call Gary. I am not inclined to hurry, having no home to actually go to (my house was not damaged, just not reachable). I continue across Idaho, then south to Utah, south east up Echo Canyon. Even at Echo Canyon, the creek is brown with silt. Finally I stop at Evanston WY.
A sidebar here: On my way out, I bypassed Evanston, going north to Kemmerer. I stopped there briefly for gas and noted a huge storm to the south and was glad I was bypassing it.
At Evanston I stayed at the Best Western, bought gin & tonic and watched more videos, in particular one by helicopter where the guys is inspecting the St. Vrain from Hygiene into Lyons. There are a number of holding ponds along the river (which I never noticed in particular) and all have been breeched.
The narrator mentions the river has changed course and the original riverbed is dry. I get an inkling of what I am in for: Rivers don’t change course because they are a bit high. And holding ponds that breach do result in much downstream damage. Unfortunately, the helicopter guys turn around at Hwy 66/36. They have one more scene: a house with just it’s rooftop showing. The pilot indicates that it came from ‘up the canyon’ somewhere. My contention: it could not have come far, too many bridges…unless of course there are no more bridges…
I see my neighbor Eric Zilling posted they would evac on Sunday. He posted a photo taken from the model home on the corner of McConnell and McConnell. Water is nearly up to the property line. Still I have no concept.
Another thing of note: Jordan and/or Celia text saying Gary is on his way to Jordan’s in Thornton. I think I talked to Gary on Jordan’s phone. Before he headed out of town, he parked in the open space and walked over to my house, shut off the water and electricity, emptied the fridge, gave away my spare jugs of water to the evac center at the high school. I am glad he is ok. I am glad my house is ok.
I go to sleep. Thus end day 2 on the road back.
Sunday 15 SEP 2013
I am up early, get a good breakfast at the motel, then hop back on I-80, heading east. The sky is overcast and it’s windy. I worry about the boat and bike and slow down. Presently it begins to rain. As I approach Laramie, Dave Barnes calls and we chat a bit.
At Laramie, I decide to head down 287. The CDOT site shows it as open and I am worn down with highway driving. This is where my memory begins to blur. I head down College in Ft Collins, cross the Poudre and see lots of debris upstream. Various roads are closed. I stop at Whole Foods for toiletries, then continue south on 287. At hwy 34, there is a detour to Shields then south again toward Berthod. Once in Longmont, I stop at the Lifebridge Church on the north side of town, mostly to be sure I am accounted for and talk to the sheriff about getting a pass to my house. He rolls his eyes after the third time. I guess the answer is no and I leave, heading east on hwy 66 and take I25 south.
On I-25, where the St. Vrain goes under the road, all the fields are now lakes and I see when I has breeched and become part of the river. The next exit (hwy 119) is closed. Barbour Ponds – StVrain State Park – looks pretty flooded and damaged. There is quite a bit of water collected in the fields but there are no more major creeks or rivers to pass between here and the exit for 136th Ave.
Finally I get to Jamie and Jordan’s. Gary and Jordan have spend the day slow-cooking ribs and we have a nice dinner.
I decide to go into work tomorrow, even though the office is closed, since at least I will have a good network connection.
We do watch another You-tube video, this one via helicopter and starting at Lyons and going up both hwy 36 and hwy 7. Both roads are closed as is the road to Button Rock. I had heard that Button Rock was compromised. In the video, I see where there is lots of water coming down the alternate spillway but it does seem to be working as designed.
Monday 16 SEP 2013
Gary and I both go to work. We drive the slow drive in on hwy 7 then north on 287. I had heard via email that Pike Road and Sunset both are closed so we turn west onto Plateau, on the south end of the little town of Prospect, past Lein’s old place and west to Hover (95 St), north over Lefthand Creek which has spilled its banks and is now following a new course. The bike path has been destroyed. I begin to embrace the brevity of the situation.
I don’t work so much as peruse the web, send emails, and peruse the web again. There is not much information on the Boulder OEM website nor on the Town of Lyons Website concerning the state of things. The Lyons Facebook Page has all the murmurings which is way better than silence.
We work till 5, drive back to Jamie and Jordan’s and cook dinner. Watch news of the flood. Have drinks and turn in.
Tuesday 17 SEP 2013
We drive together to work, again on hwy 7 and it is really slow. We cross over Rock Creek which is still pretty high but seems to be reduced from yesterday.
Quite frankly, I am in a fog. I don’t have flood insurance but my house is not damaged, near as I can tell anyway. I am not sure of the next steps, or even if there are any. I wish that someone would put a shovel in my hand and tell me where to dig.
On the Lyons Facebook Page, I saw that Lyons residents will be able to get passes, starting at noon. I call Gary at 10 till and we head to Lifebridge and stand in line. Today is only for residents of unincorporated Boulder County, so Gary gets a pass. Its for tomorrow. Lyons town residents can get one on Wednesday.
At lunch, we go to China Express out on Ken Pratt Blvd, a new fast food favorite.
Wednesday 18 SEP 2013
We drive together again, this time taking I-25 north to Hwy 66 and then west toward Lyons. It’s another slow drive though things loosen up a bit after County Line Road. We head toward Lyons, pass the checkpoint which is at 53rd Street, the road to Rabbit Mountain. There is a news crew. Gary answers questions, I take pictures. We head toward town. I now begin to grasp the brevity of the situation: Even before the intersection of Hwy 36 & 66, we see the river off to the south…in the past you could not even see the river at this point, tucked as it was behind a grove a trees. There is lots of small debris on both sides of the road.
Once we pass the hwy 36 intersection, and proceed toward town, the road is out on the right, at one of the places where there was a ditch. At Clark’s, crews are pulling stuff out of the store into the parking lot. The Diamond Shamrock is dark, as is the Distillery. Next is the old motel with rock and mud piled in the parking area. Next is the October Hole pullout and the McConnell Bridge which, turns out, is still there but there is not much river underneath.
Then begins the chaos and mayhem. Trees are down everywhere and with them the power lines. The river is scoured. At the spot below the Black Bear Hole, there was a branch to the left to a ditch. Now at this confluence there is a huge cottonwood intertwined with a power line.
Already there are new poles being installed on the north side of the road, though not yet strung.
We continue toward town. There are no lights, no traffic lights. All the buildings in town are dark but appear mostly intact. We continue to the T intersection and take a left. There is lots of smaller debris; the condos at meadowpark appear intact; city hall is intact thought the lawn is covered in mud. We approach the hwy 7 bridge, which is one lane only. Again, the amount of water is apparent: to the west are 2 branches of river. To the east, all is scoured. Gone are the trees that lined the river bank. We hurry up hwy 7. There is mud everywhere. No apparent loss of homes here, but there is mud everywhere. On the next street, a car is mired in mud by the Meckles’ Place. We continue on. At the next street we look down, there is a river running where there use to be none.
Next is the mobile home park and the bike path: here too is a river where there was none. The South St Vrain is off to the left, a gush of water with new channels. A piece of the road is in disrepair. We reach the intersection of Old South St Vrain and turn toward Red Gulch Road. We look downstream and see one home precariously balanced over the river. Mud, sand and rock are piled everywhere and the river channel is scoured. We continue, passing another bit of damaged road with a crew attempting repair. The open field on the left is muddied over as is the yard of the home on the right.
We turn up Red Gulch and cross a layer of mud. The trailhead is closed and there is a pile of mud around the information kiosk. The parking area is closed and taped. We see where Red Gulch itself overflowed its ditch and there’s debris on both sides of the road. The 2 houses on the south side of the switch back have driveways which were washed away by red gulch. Red gulch itself still has water in it, and this after a week. This will continue to be the case for quite some time. We continue up Gary’s road which is not in bad shape, round the next switchback and continue up again.
Now we are at his driveway which is washed out (after having been regarded just a month ago). He has power so he turns the main switch back on. We prowl around and check things out and decide to come back on Saturday, do some cleaning and bring his kitty home. We turn off the main breaker and head back to Longmont and work, taking some pictures along the way including the McConnell Street bridge. The bridge seems to be in good shape but no road at all beyond it, only a new course of river. I am astounded. We get back in the car and return to work.
Now we see that passes for town residents will be available from 6 - 8 PM so we head back to Lifebridge after work. My day is Thursday from 12 – 2 and 5 -7. Which means in from 12 – 2 and out during 5 – 7. And, at this point, the only access is via county road 69 and thru the ball fields behind the high school.
Thursday 19 SEP 2013
We drive separately on Thursday since I will be going to my house. I look forward to unloading the camping gear. My neighbor Linda emails and mentions her brother-in-law, Mark Wiley, an acquaintance from sea kayaking, needs a ride to town to get his car. His property abuts the river. The yard is gone, but the house appears to be ok. I leave work around 11:30, grab some lunch, and head to the church to pick up Mark and we head toward Lyons. We wait in line for a bit, then proceed. I drop him off near 2nd street then continue to Highway 7, up highway 7, left onto Old South St. Vrain Road then left again onto CR69. Left unto the private road , past the dog park and soccer fields and out unto Welch Dr.
Start from along hwy 7, folks are already cleaning out their homes with lots of belongings – furniture, carpet, pretty much everything – by the road. Welch Drive is no different with lots of evidence of flooded basements, carpeting and padding lining the streets. I creep slowing along, expecting the worse. My street appears to be untouched. I drive to my home, scurry in. Basement first: no water as Gary had said. I am filled with relief. I chat with neighbors, unload my car, attend to various tasks, like covering the drains with masking tape; covering the toilet bowls with plastic and taping them shut. This takes a long time. I notice my neighbor is mowing his lawn. I am intrigued by the things we do to maintain a sense of normality.
Once done with tasks, I grab my camera and head to the river, to the below the October Hole, where the dam is. Or rather was. It appears that there is no dam. But there is a tom of water so maybe the river is simply still that high. And there is a rapid right there.
I walk along. The ponds are gone, replaced by the river which now looks to have two branches, this new one and the original. I imagine I can pick out the October Hole. Then turn back and return to my house.
I start out, first stopping at the end of McConnell, see the new course of the river, take pictures, then back to Longmont. Get a quick bite to eat and head to a Lyons town meeting at the Longmont city chambers. The news there: starting Monday, I will be able to go home any time I want, during the hours of 7 AM to 7 PM. Gary can already do that.
For now, only Lyons and county residents have access. And, there is a disaster recovery center at the Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont.
Friday 20 SEP 2013
Today we visit the disaster recovery center at lunch but do not stay long since I have a 1 PM meeting.
We are both still in a fog.
Saturday 21 SEP 2013
Today we pack up the kitty and head to Gary’s for a day of cleaning. He still has no phone, but all else is working and he does have enough water.
Sunday 22 SEP 2013
We return to Gary’s for another round of cleaning and do finish
Monday 23 SEP 2013
I drive myself to work and spend the afternoon putting camping stuff away and generally cleaning up, as much as I can.
Walk again to the dam and I continue to be convinced it is no longer there, but it’s hard to say
Thursday 26 SEP 2013
The first of weekly town meetings at Lifebridge
Saturday 28 SEP 2013
We pack up from Jordan and Jamie’s and relocate to Gary’s house. It is better being here. Closer to home for me and it is home for him.
I go down to my house again, clean a bit more, fill the bird feeders, talk to the neighbors.
Walk over to the dam.
Sunday 29 SEP 2013
Today I talk my first town tour by bicycle. First, again to the end of McConnell street. Then, since the 2nd Ave bridge is operational, I head that way.
Those community condos got hit really hard. There are piles and piles of belongings at the curb, most likely from that common basement storage area. And there are yellow warning signs on most of the buildings.
I cross the bridge and head along Park Street, down to the school bridge which is no longer there, though it appears to be in one piece on the far side of the river, a bit downstream. I look and look in disbelief across the river at its ravages.
Then back on my bike and upstream to Apple Valley but go only a short way. Again, the devastation is phenomenal. I turn back, go over the highway 7 bridge and down the other side.
Homeowners are continuing to dig out. I get close to the footbridge at the head of Bohn Park, This bridge appears to be intact but I do not get close enough to investigate. I go back up Prospect and continue along Highway 7 to the footpath and down it a short distance (it too has been washed away), then up hwy 7 to Old South to CR 69 and back home. Put my bike in the car and head up to Gary’s.
I am still in a fog.
Week of 30 SEP 2013
This week we decided to start walking in the mornings. We chose Old South seeing that all the open space is closed. There is debris and rock on the road. As we head up, we see the river has changed course thru here. The various irrigation structures are severely damaged or not there. Across from that house with the donkeys, the river has swept thru the plain, recoursed itself and left a trail of new river rock and silt. Gone are the pastures. Along one of the walls, the road is gone. We hike into the dry bed and back up the other side and to the end. The bridge at the other end was washed away.
We do this walk 3 times this week. By Friday, we can see the road crews are able to drive up Hwy 7 and it looks like there are 2 places already rebuilt. There is also a set of surveyor stakes mid-river and we wonder at their purpose.
On one of the walks, we meet Ron Redman, who lives at the house at the end of the road with a cup of coffee contemplating temporary road repairs he will undertake to make the road passable to his house.
Saturday 07 OCT 2013
On Saturday, we drain the pipes at my house; I pump out the toilet tank and bowl and add RV antifreeze to the toilets.
Then walk again, covering the places I have been the previous week. The water has come down some. It will take a long time to rebuild.
Other notes:
I never did say the town had no utilities which is why I could not live at my house. Some neighbors had an RV parked in front. I returned home that Saturday before Halloween.
Place of note is that open space in Hygiene, which was closed for a long time, but you could see from the road where the outhouse was teetering where the land around it was washed out.