The rains have gone
You saw the flooding in the previous blog. Well the rain got a lot worse. I mean a lot. I'm happy to report that the drainage ditch Dad dug back in September for us is doing the trick. Even though we had another 10 to 12 hours of fairly steady rain after I took those earlier photos, here's a couple of shots of the backyard taken just a few minutes ago. The rain stopped about 12 or 13 hours ago:
Our property is okay. Flooded, but draining well. The road is a slightly different matter. Bondarenko isn't in bad shape. But Trawick has issues.
I left yesterday afternoon and met Steve in Jacksonville. He decided that dinner out and some game time at Dave & Buster's was what I needed to cheer me up after my UF news. He was right. We had a lot of fun and came home with another giant teddy bear for my collection. We got home after dark and stupidly used the Saturn rather than the Jeep. The road was washed out in two spots where water was streaming across it. It was passable then, but we worried that if it kept up at the pace it was flowing, the washouts would be a lot deeper. We called my folks and Christa to cancel our plans for today, thinking we were stranded.
On the call to Dad, we actually came to a point in the road where the water was streaming across it at a white-water pace. The swath was probably about six feet wide. Steve was hesitant to try and cross it, but we went ahead and got through successfully. We feared the worse when we walked to it today. But the water's gone and the damage isn't that bad. It's about 6 to 8 inches deep. What kept it from getting deeper is a layer of rock extending from a nearby bridge. If it hadn't been for that rock, I'm sure this would be a lot worse than it is.
These next few shots were taken as we walked along Trawick. Fortunately, the home owners' association is doing a good job with road maintenance. They're keeping a decent crown along most of the road, which prevents the water from crossing over and cutting through the road. The washed-out areas are restricted to the sides. But they're still fairly large. In some spots, the road is restricted to a single lane. The two washed out areas we encountered last night have been flattened a great deal by traffic. The dirt was soft and mushed easily, so they're just a couple of ruts about 5 or 6 inches deep.
These next couple of photos were taken near the bridge I mentioned. It gives you a better idea of just how much water is being drained off the road. Look closely at the photo of Steve. His foot is buried up to the ankle in soft, waterlogged sand.
Here's Steve standing in one of the washed out areas. The water is up to his calf.
I thought the pattern of ripples under the water was interesting. It looks like an bivalve shell of some kind. The brown tint to the water isn't dirt. It's tannic acid. I'm guessing its leached into the ground by the pine trees in the area. Steve says the water in Scotland is like this from all the peat.
This last photo is of some horses that live along Trawick. When we first went by, we were videoing all the water damage. At that time, every horse watched us with fascination. By the time we came back, though, we must have been old news. Only a few cared that we were there.
So now the sun is brightly shining. There isn't a cloud in the sky. It's really windy, though. I can hear the sound of heavy machinery, so I'm guessing some repair work is already happening on the road. I also hear the booms from Camp Blanding. The National Guard has been doing some serious training over there the last week or so. I'm guessing they're getting ready to be deployed. Essentially, life is back to normal out here. Hopefully, the roads won't be too far behind.
Our property is okay. Flooded, but draining well. The road is a slightly different matter. Bondarenko isn't in bad shape. But Trawick has issues.
I left yesterday afternoon and met Steve in Jacksonville. He decided that dinner out and some game time at Dave & Buster's was what I needed to cheer me up after my UF news. He was right. We had a lot of fun and came home with another giant teddy bear for my collection. We got home after dark and stupidly used the Saturn rather than the Jeep. The road was washed out in two spots where water was streaming across it. It was passable then, but we worried that if it kept up at the pace it was flowing, the washouts would be a lot deeper. We called my folks and Christa to cancel our plans for today, thinking we were stranded.
On the call to Dad, we actually came to a point in the road where the water was streaming across it at a white-water pace. The swath was probably about six feet wide. Steve was hesitant to try and cross it, but we went ahead and got through successfully. We feared the worse when we walked to it today. But the water's gone and the damage isn't that bad. It's about 6 to 8 inches deep. What kept it from getting deeper is a layer of rock extending from a nearby bridge. If it hadn't been for that rock, I'm sure this would be a lot worse than it is.
These next few shots were taken as we walked along Trawick. Fortunately, the home owners' association is doing a good job with road maintenance. They're keeping a decent crown along most of the road, which prevents the water from crossing over and cutting through the road. The washed-out areas are restricted to the sides. But they're still fairly large. In some spots, the road is restricted to a single lane. The two washed out areas we encountered last night have been flattened a great deal by traffic. The dirt was soft and mushed easily, so they're just a couple of ruts about 5 or 6 inches deep.
These next couple of photos were taken near the bridge I mentioned. It gives you a better idea of just how much water is being drained off the road. Look closely at the photo of Steve. His foot is buried up to the ankle in soft, waterlogged sand.
Here's Steve standing in one of the washed out areas. The water is up to his calf.
I thought the pattern of ripples under the water was interesting. It looks like an bivalve shell of some kind. The brown tint to the water isn't dirt. It's tannic acid. I'm guessing its leached into the ground by the pine trees in the area. Steve says the water in Scotland is like this from all the peat.
This last photo is of some horses that live along Trawick. When we first went by, we were videoing all the water damage. At that time, every horse watched us with fascination. By the time we came back, though, we must have been old news. Only a few cared that we were there.
So now the sun is brightly shining. There isn't a cloud in the sky. It's really windy, though. I can hear the sound of heavy machinery, so I'm guessing some repair work is already happening on the road. I also hear the booms from Camp Blanding. The National Guard has been doing some serious training over there the last week or so. I'm guessing they're getting ready to be deployed. Essentially, life is back to normal out here. Hopefully, the roads won't be too far behind.
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