"if you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room"

Saturday, April 20, 2013

wading back in

We got up early this morning and headed back to the campground after spending the night at Rudee's Mom's. She loaned us her car to get around in and we sure appreciated that. The campground is about 30 miles away and since it was early we decided to stop for breakfast. I guess it could have also been a case of "the nerves" and we were trying to delay finding out about the bad news.
After breakfast we knew we couldn't procrastinate any longer and were ready to meet our fate, good or bad. About 5 miles from the campground we started seeing white stuff on the roofs and on the edge of the road. SNOW! Man oh man, we just aint livin right. :-(
The road to the main campground entrance which was totally blocked by deep water yesterday now only had a small amount that we easily drove through. We got our first glimpse of the campers parked on the front row of sites and it was not good.

This motor home had the ground underneath it washed away and was barely hanging on, others were pushed off their jacks and were sideways in their sites. The entire front row looked like a war zone, it was really sad and our hearts sank.
They wouldn't let us drive past the office which was fine because a lot of the roads were either flooded or the pavement had washed away leaving large holes. We parked the car and started walking back into the campground. There are probably 300 sites at this park and maybe eight to ten roads. We picked our way along the roads staying in the areas where the water had receded and got to within one road of our motor home. We could see it but were blocked by water getting to it. I finally found a shallow section though and waded across.
Once at the motor home I could clearly see the level of the water and it wasn't too bad. The water stopped about two to three inches above the bottom of our outside storage compartments.


The interior of the compartments were damp but not really soaked like I expected. The inside of the motor home was high and dry! We were extremely relieved to find that. Next I checked the Dakota. The water only reached the bottom of the bumper and did not come inside at all. To be safe I checked the oil, transmission fluid and air filter for any signs of water (there were none) before starting it up. No problems here either.
That only leaves the Harley and cargo trailer. I made my way down to the over flow parking dodging peoples decks, stairs and firewood that had been deposited all over the place. We even had a piece of firewood that had been deposited on our step by the flood.


Once at the cargo trailer I could see that about 1/3 of the lower part of the trailer had been under water. I cringed a little and opened the door ........ not good. :-(



The water was up to just below the seat and most of the engine had been under water. I took a couple of photos, let Rudee take a look and closed the doors back.

Now it's just a matter of letting the insurance companies do their thing. We have a different company for the bike so we will have different adjusters for the trailer and bike. That also means two deductibles but we knew this going in since we were both a couple of insurance geeks in our former working life. :-)

Here are a few of the photos I had on my camera that I took during the flood:





We are both a little bummed about the bike but are very happy we have a place to live and our toad is not damaged. Things could have been much worse. The last couple of days when I started feeling down and having my own little pity party I reminded myself of the people who lived through hurricane Catrina or, most recently, the explosion in West, Texas. We have been blessed by the help from family and friends  as well as the support from our fellow RVers. Several people have offered us places to stay and offers to help in any way they can. We are truly blessed and we thank each and every one of you for lifting us up in this difficult time.

We decided not to stay in the motor home and were able to drive our truck out to the highway. We will spend another night with Rudee's Mom and will move back home tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

16 comments:

  1. Glad to hear the house is ok and the toad. So so so sorry bout the bike.

    Those photos of the campground, just make me sad.

    Keeping you in my positive thoughts.

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  2. What campground is this. Is it close to a creek or river. That is such a ugly looking site. Can the trailer be fixed.

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  3. It really is hard to look at the pictures! Puts our small issues into perspective!

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  4. Oh Phil and Rudee, I just caught up with your blog. What a mess. We were shocked by how quickly the water came up. We're trying to figure out where you are.

    Thankfully your RV was not half underwater. Our thoughts are with you as you deal with the clean up and insurance companies.

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  5. It is always best to stay on the grateful side of things, however I am so sorry about the Harley and trailer. Hopes it gets fixed soon! Thankfully your house is ok. Sorry you have to deal with this.

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  6. How horrible. Glad the damage wasn't in your MH or toad.

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  7. Oh my, I heard there was flooding up there. Appears your motor home was spared. Can't imagine what you were going through before you got in to access the damage. Water can rise fast.

    When Irene hit in Sept 2011 we left RI and went to the Poconos area of PA. Irene hit there too. We watched a small drickle of water behind us turn to a raging river within hours. We were okay but water washed out the dirt under a fifth wheel next to us.

    Good to have suitable insurance, for sure.

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  8. Glad you two are safe. I hope the insurance comes through ok. I will not be adding that park to my visit list.

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  9. Wow! What more can be said? I'm so glad that your MH and toad were spared. Sorry about the bike though. I don't know what I would do if it were me. I hope that your insurance takes care of it all.

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  10. Although I know it's a tough break about the bike, your home is high and dry and that's a great thing! Definitely could have been much worse from looking at those photos. Hang tough when dealing with the insurance company.

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  11. Oh my, we are so sorry to read about the flash flood. We know how much you love your motorcycle but grateful you are safe. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

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  12. I saw your pix on FB, so checked your blog. What a tragedy. What a terrible ordeal. So glad you got out and that it appears to be minimal damage to the motorhome. Sorry about the bike and trailer. Certainly are thinking of your both and hoping all goes well with the insurance company.

    Dale and Terry Pace

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  13. Bummer on the Bike but fantastic news that all else is OK. Been concerned that it would be much worse. Hope the mess does not keep you hanging long.

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  14. Phil & Rudee, So glad to hear it did not get you MH or TOAD, sorry to hear about the bike. Been hoping you would come through this without big problems, horay.

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  15. I'm glad the RV is ok, sorry about the bike and trailer. We got lucky by being able to move to high ground. I hope the insurance works out for you and the weather gets better!

    Erik

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