Martin Acres and Table Mesa after the rain finally stopped

With a hint of blue sky to motivate me and 3 days worth of pent-up energy to propel me, I set out walking around Martin Acres and up to Table Mesa.

The internet was alive with rumor, reporting and questions about the damage from overnight flooding and since the water levels seemed to be receding, it was time for first hand information.

For you... A look through my eyes.

Residents on my street did their very best to channel water away from the house...

During a time of panic and desperation, resourcefulness was key.  This might look unconventional, but it actually functioned quite effectively from what I could tell.

Well... it might have to be reinforced again!  Our 500 year flood of 2013 destroyed the existing creek bed and "natural flow" meant it went everywhere... including uphill on the bike path and out onto Martin Drive.

  

The playground at Martin Park has been washed clean!  While it feels like you are walking at the beach with all that wet sand, it is otherwise completely unscathed.  

Martin Park, has never looked greener!  :-)

From here I watched a little more blue sky creep into view overhead, aware that the clouds still hung low over the Flatirons and more rain was expected.

And then I reached Table Mesa...

The roads, while much of the water is gone, are still very wet, covered in mud, sand and debris.

The manhole covers are sandbagged.  Water spews up from under them at an alarming rate, keeping the traffic on alert.

The bike path beside the underpass is still unusable and somewhat dangerous, but it's not as bad as yesterday.   :-)  I watched passerby pull out their camera phones and capture the torrent with photos and movies. This will be the most well documented flood EVER!

Chatting briefly with this woman and her golden retriever, I leaned she was an evacuee from Marshall.  Staying with friends and thankful for a safe place to stay with her dog, they were both grateful for a break in the weather and the first chance in 3 days for a good walk.

A fitting work of art near the underpass.  The artist clearly knew something ahead of time.

Everywhere I went there was yellow "Do not Cross" tape.  Most of it had be washed away by debris and flood waters.

On the bright side, how many days in my lifetime am I going to have the chance to walk up the middle of a busy street like Table Mesa (without getting squished by cars) or witness the reflection of the Flatirons right here in the middle?  Amid the chaos, destruction, and grief, it's nice to get another perspective too.  I'm happy to report I found beauty and smiles after the flood too.

Up at the intersection of Table Mesa and Lehigh St, Bear Creek had broken from its usual channel. The water, which is almost non-existent at this time of year, took branches, mud and boulders with it, as it rampaged across the road.  This was a well trafficked intersection, a major connection between the neighborhood and the rest of Boulder, so no time was wasted in getting it open again. It took these 5 construction vehicles half a day to scrape the road clean.  They put all that debris in a big truck and simply took it way.  Where does it all get dumped?

I took a wander through Bear Creek Park, thinking I might get a good view down the river from the bridge that connects the park to Bear Creek Elementary School.  As I rounded the corner I was met with a couple of orange cones and a "Do Not Enter" sign laying on the ground.  My side of the bridge had fallen into the river!  The bank under it had been washed out by the river and all its debris.

Yep, it's going to take a little time to get back to normal.