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28 Boulder
Following the big flood in 2013, I walked up to the grocery store and was struck by the view of the flatirons. If you have been to Boulder you know the vertical rocks on the west side of town are the spectacular view that people love. In this photo, those rocks are mostly obscured by the foggy remnants of the flood we had that fall.
That is Bear Peak that you cannot see in the photo. You also may know that NCAR, the building designed by I.M. Pei is just out of sight behind the trees. NCAR usually sits like a castle above the city, but my grocery is pretty far up Table Mesa Drive.
During the flood, that road was washed over with water. South Boulder Creek runs down the center of the road there, and that stream had over-run its banks. Downstream at my house the water took out our furnace and one block south of me, the water was half way up the doors of the cars parked along the street.
I drove home from work that day and stopped to help a family build a diversion dam away from their home out of garbage bags filled with sand. I saw the creek raging under the bridge and I was afraid to park on the low side of the creek where I live. I parked at the school and walked home.
Judy was at our house ready to evacuate. I had to tell her I left the car on the other side of the creek. Eventually I walked back. I was able to cross the creek but not drive across. I parked the car at the grocery store to the left of the frame in this photo. By that time, no one could drive across the creek, but I was able to walk across in on Table Mesa and cross the creek on the bridge in the center of this photo.
I was not sure if Judy and I could make it back to the car.
That was the peak, the water subsided and life returned to normal in Boulder, if you think there is a "normal" for Boulder. At the local park, people had built a huge pile of water damaged stuff, furniture, building materials, carpet and equipment. It was a massive mound of destruction.
I try to explain the scary part, but the recovery also felt good. People were kind and helpful, and I had a feeling that we had all worked to help each other. It was a good feeling. The Flatirons made me think of the recovery.
This photo was made with my iPhone.
Boulder: https://www.flickr.com/gp/timmwheat/0NQ6B9
2014 Boulder: https://www.flickr.com/gp/timmwheat/uf5v3u
2009 Boulder Pancake Breakfast: https://flic.kr/s/aHskV5GdKh
Bear Creek path
Photo by Tim Wheat.
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