We had a big rainstorm yesterday - more than 1/2 inch in 25 minutes. It was a bit of deja vu for me to see that much rain eroding the yard.


(Taken from a screened porch.)

The river doubled in volume overnight as a result of snow melting up in the high mountains. It is a test of our repairs to the riverbank, this is below the dining room at our house. We have some loss of fill dirt, but there are boulders and reinforcing trees underneath.



Yesterday we helped the church group that sent volunteers to our house a couple of times deliver and place sandbags. This is the Big Thompson River above Lake Estes - water straight from the snow banks with no dams or other control mechanisms.





This is downstream from us. Underneath that waterfall is a low water crossing - culverts with dirt packed on top to make a temporary bridge. It was just completed a few weeks ago, so the homeowners, who don't live there full-time were able to drive their cars over there for the first time since mid-September 2013, but the end of it was already washing out when we were there, so they will be out of commission once again until it can be repaired.