Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Rain, Sirens, and OH MY!

Last Sunday night was quite the night.  Heavy rain, thunder, and lighting  continued into the early morning hours.  The weather was not threatening....just loud.  Come morning; however, an unfamiliar sound filled the air and brought myself, hubby, and the furballs fully awake.  At first, I thought tornado....but then I realized it was quiet no rain, no wind, no storm.  So I went to the window and noticed the bath house across from us had a flashing yellow light to go along with the sounding alarm.  I turned on the local news.....nothing about a tornado, but plenty about flash flooding.  It seems Cincinnati had received almost 4 inches of rain.  The lake here at Winton Woods was up.....way up....and that is why the alarm had sounded.  Have a look.....
This is the scene out our back window.....there had been no water there last night.  That am I'd say it was up a good 3 to 4 feet on the tree line and that was about 8 feet from our back window.  I didn't feel we were in any danger.....I think the worse was over at that point.  Looking around the park, I noticed just how bad it really was.....a deck overlooking the lake...one I had stood on the day before, was completely under water and the boathouse where you could rent rowboats, kayaks, and pontoon boats had water over it's decking as well.....scary stuff.....that much water and it came so fast.
This guy didn't seem to mind that the lake had been "enlarged"......

So we began our day.  We were going to be leaving Winton Woods and heading over to Precision Temp for repair on our On Demand Hot Water System.  We headed out around 11am.  Right at the exit of the park was a sign stipulating a road closure due to the flooding.  We had no idea where that road was....so we turned to the right to head out to the highway.  As soon as we rounded the first curve, we knew we were in trouble.  The blockade stopped us dead in our tracks.  To the left...nothing but lake....to the right a steep climb into a subdivision we knew nothing about....we were trapped.  We discussed the situation and I decided to head up the hill on foot and see if we could find our way out that way.  Fortunately, a park ranger happened by and told us he would lead us through the subdivision.  By that time....a motorhome had also joined in the caravan.  The ranger called the station and told them they needed to change the sign....as a lot of folks leaving were unfamiliar with the area and the name of the road meant nothing.  We were all just trying to get out the same way we got in!  We slowly wound our way through the subdivision.... tight turns, low tree branches, and narrow roadway....but we made it through.  I sure hope this area gets a break from the rain and can dry out soon.
We arrived at Precision about 30 minutes later.....repairs were completed as well as adding their "cold pack" to our unit.  The cold pack is simple heat tape....which we can turn on to prevent freezing just in case we find ourselves in unexpected cold weather.....it happens.


Ok DAD....pay attention....we arrived in Rising Sun Indiana around 6pm.  We are currently parked close to the Ohio river in a little park that my Dad recommended.  It is called "Little Farm on the River".  Of Course.....our journey to this quaint little park was not without its problems....stay tuned for the "rest of the story" in my next post.......

4 comments:

  1. The weather extremes this year have just been amazing. I sure wish all this rain would move on. Looking forward to the next installment...

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  2. We stayed at Little Farm year before last for a week while we visited my brother in law in Cincinnati, couldn't get a place in Winton Woods.It is a fabulous campground and also a member of Campground USA 50% off club,The big guy that owns it drives around in a really snazzy golf cart and is a great guy and will stop and sit a spell with you if you are out in the evening.You guys have fund a gem of a campground. Have fun. Sam & Donna..

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  3. Yes, we did get a lot of rain, and fast. there were a few school closing Monday morning near us due to flooding. Glad everyone is safe and back on the road!

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  4. The things we Rvers get into! How fortuitous that the ranger came along to help you out. I bet the rest of the story is a good one!

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