Just after arriving back home last summer and getting settled in, and getting accustomed to the desolate, burned surroundings (the result of the high park fire), we had another natural disaster here in the canyon.
The rain began on that September morning, and fell, and fell. And then, fell some more, until the river could no longer hold onto the water. The water rose, the trees began loosening from the charred landscape and then falling into the river. When decades-old Ponderosa Pines began rushing past the back door, I knew we were in trouble. After a harrowing drive down to town, past car-sized boulders and through rushing water coming from the canyon walls, we hunkered down in town. Then, after 6 days of being displaced, we were finally allowed back, to find that once again our little patch of riverfront had held on.
Now, we see this first winter back home, how the river corridor has changed. Before, the river grew quiet and small as it slept though the cold months. Now, we have soft beach sand on our lawn. The water has run high and wide, making it seem so much bigger than it ever was before in the winter months.
It is hard to tell what spring run off will hold. For the boaters, certainly a new course to navigate.
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