Hi Water

It is said that if you own a campground anywhere near the water,  at some point you will experience flooding. When 12.8 inches fell in a single day this month we got to see first hand how forces of nature can impact the landscape. At first it doesn't seem all that bad. The rain keeps coming down but if you are inside and dry you can just enjoy the sounds on a tin roof. After a time you notice the water starting to rise.

We have map from the Corp of Engineers that shows us our white line. On one side of the line is high ground. This side is where the buildings live. On the other side you can only build structures ( like a covered pavilion ) where water can pass through. Other structures stored in the area ( like a camper) need to be movable withing 24 hours. As the water started to rise we were more and more reminded of the map.

The first real impact was in the back yard. The pond and creak became a single body of water as shown in the picture above. By the end of the day the spiritual trail was covered. Just the signs with the scriptures were peaking out from a newly created pond. The campground also changed its footprint when our most popular tent camping spots on the point were covered with water. By the end of the rain,  just the tops of the picnic tables were visible. We could travel up the drainage ditch in kayaks and almost reach the fish cleaning station. A few RV's had to be moved but we were able to  get everyone to higher ground without too much trouble.

After the rain stopped the high water was more fun than scary.  One guest was able to tie their boat to a tree much closer to their established campsite. The kayaks traveled down Chewalla Creek  at fast clip made much easier by the new water level. It was also fun to use the new Christmas paddle boat in one of the ponds made even deeper with the extra rainfall . .

The high water was gone about as quickly as it came leaving large areas of white sand in its wake. If you look at the picture below and combine it with new cooler temperatures, the sand sort of reminds us of a winter snow.

We were of course very grateful not to have any significant damage to people or property. It is helpful to know what the flood  pattern looks like when we do have a heavy rain. Most experienced outdoor enthusiasts  have been camping during a rain filled weekend. Overall we are pleased to report  high water was a very manageable adventure here.