As usual I was up early and got the last minute packing done in Willow and was set to go.
Ruth was arriving a little later to pack her personal items into the van. We were headed out to Revelstoke area first to a favorite campground called Blanket Creek. We stayed there last year when exploring Mount Revelstoke National Park. Then final destination was to be Kokanee Creek Provincial Park.
But then life gets in the way sometimes, and as we have said before you make the best of it....and bend with the wind.
I sat down in the morning to enjoy my final coffee of the day and turned on the news!
Canmore and surrounding area had received 216 ml of rain in the past three days. That along with melting snow caused a very heavy spring runoff....One never experienced before in history.
By 7 am that morning Cougar Creek had exploded is probably the correct word and had flooded out the Trans Canada Highway along with large portions of Canmore residents.
Please note these photos
are not mine. They are from
the news links.
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| Cougar Creek Canmore AB. |
This is the Trans Canada highway in Canmore Alberta. The highway was closed for almost a week.
Obviously, we were not going west!
As I watched this devestation on the news, I called Ruth and said our holiday was off...At least for the time being! We debated heading down south to the Crowsnest Pass area through Pincher Creek etc. But news casts were not positive from that point either...The CP rail line was flooded out and portions of the highway had water running over it also....
We decided at that time to watch the news and decide what to do....Obviously we didn't yet realize the impact this was going to have on us down the line .
For the next two days I could not drag myself away from the TV. the newscasts were amazingly well covered. Of course I could not believe what was happening. Bowness Park has flooded previously in spring run-off (the first in my lifetime) in 2005 so I expected with what was happening it would happen again. In the early afternoon I went down to the 85th street bridge to see if I could see any thing happening....The river was higher than normal and quite cloudy, but not even spring run-off level at that point.
Ominous Clouds from the west.
and the river is substantially higher.
About 2 PM on June 20/13
Baker Park Bowness AB
Looking south across the Bow River towards Bowness Park .
This photo taken at Bowmont Park along the Bow River just below Silver Springs.
The storm water ponds empty into the river. There was an actual fountain of water coming down the hills with all the additional rain... This whole area was eventually flooded completely.
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| Looking south towards COP |
By 4 or 5 PM newscasts were starting to suggest that there was a possibility Bowness could be evacuated. I have always been worried about Bearspaw Dam over the years. They were saying that they were worried about water overlapping both at BearsPaw and Glenmore Dams. I wasn't worried about the dam bursting and flooding the whole valley but I have always been told if Bowness floods the water is going to come up from the valley floor. The water table is going to rise.....Then all of a sudden I heard loudspeakers and sirens and helicopters hovering above stating Bowness was evacuating and "Get out now"
I called Jody to meet me at Shouldice Pool and we could ferry out both vehicles. I got in the car and tried to drive over the Shouldice bridge and was unable to because the traffic was completely stopped....The police cars were racing up and down the streets with sirens and loudspeakers blaring...I was actually quite frightened....
I believe the water was probably flooding both Shouldice Pool area and Bow Cresent at that moment creating the panic.....I decided to turn left and head home via Sunnyside greenhouses. Traffic was bad with people trying to leave via Sarcee Trail.....I called Jody again and we agreed to meet at COP at the top of the hill.....She and Jocelyn then came home with me and we packed laptop, hard drives, Oliver, scrapbooks etc. into van (already packed for holidays) and we left my little nest in Bowness....How hard that was, created a few tears.
I stayed with Jody for three days....thank goodness my home was untouched....I had a home to return to.....only then did I realize the impact of a disaster on people..Never was I so proud of my mayor, city, community when I saw the volunteers banding together to help strangers....
Jody and Nonie June 21/13 up on Silver Springs Hill overlooking the flooding in Bowness.
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| Bowness Valley looking west |
apparently the train was stopped for a couple of days not trusting the tracks
over looking the hillside across from the old Bow Bend trailer park site.
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| Bowness Park |
No one is listening...!
Bowmont Park looking east from 85th street bridge.
View from Upper Home Road
overlooking Shouldice Bridge and further the Trans Canada bridge.
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| Bow Cresent |
One of the luxury homes along Bow River
on Bow Cresent.
Looking closely there was a beaver sitting
on their front deck. Close up following.
I was standing on Shouldice Bridge looking NW, across the river is a school.
I remember the sound, you could hear the power of the water in the sound. It sounded dangerous.
Hextall Bridge with Hextall Park on the other side.
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| River Edge School |
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| Trans-Canada highway bridge |
Yah gotta do what yah gotta do!
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| Bow Cresent looking east from bridge |
I think at this point they were about to close Shouldice bridge to pedestrian traffic for safety reasons. I hurried to get back across to car.
View between Shouldice and the old Hextall Bridges.
All bridges in the Bowness area were closed for quite a few days, Until the river crested . The only access to Bowness was via Bowfort. Rd. and Sarcee trail.
This was a humbling experience, I certainly counted my blessings that my home was safe.
I wonder what I would have done if things had turned out differently. My home is not just a home. I assume like many others it is a security blanket. I am blessed. I truly appreciated the phone calls, emails, offers of support from all directions. Each and every offer touched my heart. I felt very loved and thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.
I have never been so proud of the community and city with the outpouring of assistance from all the volunteers helping strangers out.
After the immenent danger passed for my home, we had to make a decision what to do with the remaining holidays that Ruth still had booked for her work. Her work actually had shut down for a few days because of computer systems with no power etc. but she still had one week left. Our options were anywhere north or east....with not too long to debate..The desire to actually get out for the first time in Willow over-road any thoughts of postponing holiday
We decided to head up the Cowboy trail towards Sundre area to an area I had previously camped in with Dennis and Jeanne quite a few years ago.. Burnt Stick Prov. Park closer to Caroline , a beautiful area.....
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| Burnt Stick Lake June 25/13 10 PM |
One of the advantages to heading to a more remote area is you are actually there for an extented period where you see the lake at different times of the day, different weather changes. The whole atmosphere changes with these differences. We experienced a very reflective lake on cloudy days and very blue colors on sunny days, and then of course beautiful sunsets on cloudy evgs. You can take a shot at the same view numerous times and get a completely different photo.
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| Burnt Stick Lake June 25th 4 PM |
Ruth got this photo perfect. For the life of me I can't get a horizon straight! She not only accomplished that but saw the hole in the clouds reflected in the water on a very sunny afternoon.....Perfect!
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| Burnt Stick Lake June 27th 10:16 PM |
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| Burnt Stick Lake June 26th 10 PM |
Exactly same shots facing West, different days, different times, different weather conditions..We had rain, sun, and one hugh thunderstorm late one evg. Loved it!
Sounds like our holiday involved standing in one spot taking photos ;-)
We actually chose one cooler rainy day and drove into Sundre, took Mable out for lunch and toured all the thrift stores, (bought a sweater Jody is still laughing at) and went to Home Hardware to buy a digital thermometer for the van. We also made sure we didn't miss any great little country store in Caroling either.....(good sani-dump!)
Good getting out in the crowds, then time to get back to peace and quiet.
The Blue Herons nest at a neighboring lake called Birch Lake
We drove over there on the way out but only saw one in flight. Talked to a local fishing fellow who had a few stories to tell :-)
Didn't see this fellow until I heard him....I'm not even sure he knew I was there! so intent on brekkie.
We only found one clump of these Calypso Orchids! just in the ditch in a shady moist area...beautiful little ladies.
I haven't look the name of these gems up yet. I don't think I have ever seen a bloom? grow out of the centre of the leaf!
Our nest.
OK OK I flubbed up, took the same shot of her and cut off her head in the water..
May I say then, it was my idea?
I also love these two shots of Ruth's. I cannot walk out on a wobbly dock or more than two steps up on a ladder!!! Now you know my foibles, also know it's not beneath me to use someone's else's photo in my blog ;-)))))) (only if it's great)
Mine! I can do it tooooo
Ruth doing what we do best!
My attempts to right a wrong a few days later.
Not so reflective and still, on a brighter day......Sorry Ruth
Reflective you say!
This pup is never far from my side and always looking for shade.
Just like home.
Recap our trip, always a few good photos left. I find I am using this blog as almost a diary of my trips. Memories, perhaps that may be forgotten and I know when I read these blogs when I'm old and grey and wearing my purple gloves, I am going to remember. There is nothing like a photo to create a memory.
Our Monet!
My version of "rock art"
at the lakeside and completed project done on a tray found in thrift shop in Caroline.
Sept. we are off to the Kootenays again. Our trip originally planned in June only postponed
That's life isn't it..!!
