A drive to the rivers

Today was beautiful and I wanted to get out and see how the rivers and areas that we kayak in, were doing.
The flood waters have been receding and the upper half of the state is below flood level now, but our half is still a foot above.

We started by going down the side road we take to the rivers. As you can see, the dam here is running full force and there is even a side duct pushing water to the other side. Not a good place for a building.



A little further down is another dam from this area. The whole area was a mill town in the old days. The road was flooded here, but the main road was passable.



On the other side of the road the river runs downward and as you can see, flooded it''s banks. The house had been hit but the waters have subsided in the last few days.



We went along route 91 which is where the ponds and main rivers converge. The first pond was ok now, but when we got to the next pond and dam outlet, we were greeted with this site. I can only imagine how bad it is at the next section, but all the side roads are also flooded since there are a lot of smaller outlets in this area.



We turned around to head home and on the way back went a different route. This area is called Usquepaugh. It is an old mill village and where the Kenyon grist mill is. It is the only corn meal I will eat, makes the best breads. This is the original road to the mill, but the main road behind it, was still ok. It is a shame to see all the damage in the areas and I thank God for living in a dry area. I don't think we will be paddling on these rivers for awhile. Even the residents in those areas are still stuck, using boats to get to dry land.

Why we didn't get flooded!

I tried to finish my new piece tonight, but I kept getting interrupted, so I should have a photo of the finished piece tomorrow.
In the meantime, I thought I would show you why we were spared of the disasters this week.
Yes, Dora has been offering up prayers and beseeching the kitty spirits to intercede for us;)



We took a ride down the road to the old mill which has a small pond and waterfall. Just a little water around the edges and the poor people who own the business in that old building, had water running out the front doors. We saw the sign, for canvas works and were going to go in to see about replacing our trailer canvas. We have tent trailer and the canvas is moldy. Well, we saw the doors open and water coming out, so doubt I will want their canvas;)



This is a pond nearby, that we paddle in the spring. This section is where the fish gate is and there is another section of pond on the far end. That is where we paddle among the tall reeds and check out the baby geese and swans. It is a beautiful spot to paddle and enjoy the bird life.

Floods are not Fun

I am amazed at all of the devastation I have seen on the news and in photos.
My husband takes a back road to get to the highway, that takes him to work.
Yesterday, he found a road block and had to find a way around it, which isn't easy, since most of the roads are extreme back roads and probably worse. This is the road he goes on, this is why, he could not.



This is the road that leads to our local rug hooking shop. The shop is further down and to the side of the river that caused this.
This is not a big river, but it is a long one and it is all coming down and flooding the towns it runs through. The river actually goes all the way to the end of the state and out to the ocean, so a lot of damage in it's path. I did not take these pictures, I am staying close to home. We are in a dry zone, luckily.