Storms Aftermath~

 We were experiencing a day of extreme heat & humidity.  Miserable to be outside at all, with the air so heavy.  By evening, the temperature was still 90 degrees.  The lightening bugs were extremely happy!  Floating through the air of the marsh, with bright flashes of light.  

It was just after midnight when the Tornado sirens went off.  It was raining buckets & the wind was blowing sideways!  I'm experienced enough now to just say a prayer & hope for the best.  It was a little unusual to have the winds so strong from the west, but it was constantly changing direction.  Butch told me later, he'd fought the wind his entire drive south Monay night.  He was hauling an empty trailer...

The big Cottonwood~

The next morning, we woke to calm, if gray skies.  We were very thankful to have been on the outskirts of the strongest part of the storm.  Several parts of town were without power & wind gusts had been reported at over 90 mph.  There had been tornado sightings near Mineola & Pacific Junction, both towns near Glenwood.

One of the big old trees just up Elm from us had blown down, narrowly missing the front of the house.  Several trucks & a lift pulled in, closing the street as I was leaving for matt-makers.  By the time I returned home, most of the mess was cleaned up & my neighbor was walking my direction, purpose in her step.  She informed me that the huge Cottonwood at the west end of our mutual woodland, had gone down in the storm.  It's just over the property line on her side. 

Cottonwood & Walnut~

It had hung up in two trees, one a large old Box Elder, you see on the left, then taking the top off a smaller Walnut, both on our side.  I was just sick as we surveyed the damage.  She & a friend were going to start in with the chainsaw & asked permission to cut my trees if necessary.  I had to agree, since there was probably no other way to get it down.

I decided there was nothing much I could do & it was our one cool day in the forecast for over a week.  I left for Silver City.  Not quite sure what I was thinking, since Mari Jo had mentioned the severe winds they'd received too.

On the trail~

As I left, Mari Jo looked at her watch.  She doubted I would make it far.  The trail clearing crew was already out working somewhere to the south.  I ran into them, just a short way out of town.  They told me it was doubtful I would make it - even to the trestle.  Looking at the mess they were working on, I knew they were probably correct.

First of four downfalls~

I didn't get much farther until this mulberry closed the trail.  I managed to get around it & kept going.  About 3 miles out I saw the red truck of another crew working.  They'd come north from down in Shenandoah & had cleared all the way to where I met them!  Yippee!  I would make it to Malvern!

Silver Creek - full of silt~

I told them they would soon run into the crew that had been traveling south & had the northern end of the trail clear.  My timing had been perfect!

Once in Malvern, I again rode to the park.  It was such a nice day, the sun had burned through the hazy of smoke from fires burning somewhere north of our state.

Smokey at our new rest area~

By the time I'd arrived, it was later in the afternoon than my usual rides, so I didn't stay long before turning back.  The trail surface was still an obstical course, with all the smaller limbs & branches on the trail surface.  With my limited depth perception, I hit more than I wanted to & had to adjust my speed accordingly.  

Once back at Happy Trails, Mari Jo & a couple of the men from the local crew were sitting at her picnic table.  It's become a gathering spot during the summer months.  The men all agreed - again that I'd planned my ride perfectly.  I only had to navagate about 2-miles that hadn't been cleared.  In that two-miles though there were four large downfalls.  That gives you an idea of the severity of the storm & the work the crews had to do to get the trail clear.

Smokey on the new bridge at Silver City~

I road a little further, wanting to see what the trail looked like north of town.  It had as much debri as had the trail to the south.  Back at the Explorer, I loaded Smokey.  We arrived home later, but I had to go & see what had been accomplished in the woods.  Sadly the chainsaw had been grabbed by the tree as it had started to fall.  My neighbor hoped it would fall during the night, but so far, no luck.  

A huge clean-up project~

I have a lot of work to do just picking up what's on the ground.  Once they're cut, there will be the work of hauling all the wood.  I'm just sick at having lost these trees. The Cottonwood provided the west end of the woods with so much shade...  The snag that was home to woodpeckers was taken down too :-(  Summer fun!  Not!