Rain, a Flash Flood and a Tree

Yesterday, we had quite the adventure.  While gone to church and a nice 2-hour lunch afterwards, the creek that we have to cross to get home, started rising from all the rain we were getting.  My dh did not feel comfortable trying to cross without someone being on call in case we had trouble, so we prevailed upon a neighbor (who lives 2 miles from us, but he’s our closest neighbor) to stand by with chains and ropes if we should get stuck, or worse, started getting washed downstream.  

My two oldest boys were in Tucson for the weekend, so it was just my husband, myself, 4 of our children and a friend.  We all unloaded except for my husband, Russell.  He only went about half-way across the stream and the water was almost over his tires – the deeper part was still to come –  and his tires were starting to spin out.  He decided not to risk it.

So we went to a friends house until my boys made it back from Tucson.  Then we followed our next plan of action.  

There is a huge cottonwood that had fallen many years past over a narrower part of the creek.  We had Seth 17yos cross it and hike home (2 miles).  There was no moon and it was still pouring rain.  He did have a flashlight though.  When he arrived home he gathered up ropes, a rain slicker for Russell and hiking boots and then returned in our Suburban.

They then rigged up a rope that stretched all the way across the tree for all of us to hang onto as we crossed.  After they had this up, the rest of us had to traipse through the mud and bushes (and watch for holes!) to get to the tree. The tree’s trunk was quite wide for which I was very thankful and having the rope to hang on to made it not scary at all (even with hearing the raging of the water beneath us). 

All in all it took about 3 hours from the time we met the boys to the time we pulled in our driveway.  It was 10 p.m. by this point.  What a day!!

I would have loved to get some pictures but I had no camera, and besides it wasn’t high on Seth’s priority list of things to get when he arrived home.

Today, we’re hoping the creek’s went down since Seth and Zachary and I are heading to Phoenix for the next 3 days.  For the first time we are participating in TeenPact.  I’ve heard a lot of good reports about it and so I decided to sign the boy’s up for the experience.  They actually get a semester credit and a grade.  You can read more about TeenPact here.

Crossing by creek or tree we don’t know but we’re soon going to find out!