Winter Apocalypse

After making the decision to winter in the Willamette Valley, we expected some weather incidents compared to wintering on the coast. We did not expect winter apocalypse.

The main entrance to Sarah Helmick

Heavy rain arrived at Sarah Helmick State Park in January. Our hosting site is right on the Luckiamute River. After several days of rain the river was expected to crest at 28 – 29ft. Flood stage is at 27 ft. We knew that the river would begin to flood the park but our site would be okay and we could still exit the park if needed. The river was expected to crest at 3 a.m. So we set the alarm to get up and do an eyeball check of the river. Water level was up. If the level began dropping as predicted, no problem expected. We woke to the river still rising. We are not familiar with the Luckiamute River in the winter and its capricious and unpredictable nature. The river kept rising and rising to about 31.8 ft. Major flooding is considered to be 32 ft. Now, we can't exit the park. The new river crest estimate is in the afternoon.  

View from RV. Yes, water was flowing under the trailer.

The Luckiamute River rises and falls quickly. By the next morning our exit route, pictured above, was free of water.

Snow and loss of electricity in January, too. Fortunately, we are prepared with generator and gas to run the noisy thing.

February brought a major ice storm to the Willamette Valley. One quarter inch of ice is normal. Well, over an inch is not. Tree limbs cannot support the weight of the ice and break. The electricity went out about midnight. Rich slept through the noise. With each loud crack, I'd snap awake ready to run. You could call it the night of dancing tree limbs falling.. We woke to a park filled with fallen limbs.

After about two hours of removing limbs and debris, the exit road is cleared so we could leave if needed. The park is closed for a few more days until a crew of rangers arrives to remove debris. As I write this it is day six with no electricity. Life with a generator and remembering to not run too many items at once now feels normal.