Flash Flood-iversary

On the 13th of October 2006, FRIDAY the 13th to be exact, we headed out to Lake Mead for a long planned family camping trip with Rob's aunt Cheryl and her husband Gene, from Denver, and Rob's uncle Chris and his girlfriend Rhonda. Rob's Grandma Toni was in town to celebrate her birthday (on the 14th) and Riley's (on the 15th). She wasn't up for camping but Rob's sister Erin, his brother John and Lisa and Kahlin, Grandma Toni, and Rob's great aunt Diane were going to come out to the camp site on Saturday the 14th for birthday cake and a BBQ.

We had planned this trip for so many months that on the way out when it was predicted to rain and had already begun drizzling, we decided we would go anyway and make the best of it. A little rain never hurt anybody!

We drove right under a double rainbow. We could even see both sides!



We got out to the spot where Rob's family had already been camping for a few days. It was in a large box canyon called Echo Wash. Heh heh...that should have been our first clue...we were camping in a WASH. Hellloooooo!

So...we got out there and started setting up our tent. By some mighty miracle (I call it that now cuz I just know some angel came and hid it) our rain cover for our barely used tent was missing. It was ALWAYS repacked with the tent but somehow it was just gone. Rob's aunt said we could all sleep in their 5th wheel since it was barely sprinkling on and off throughout dinner. If we had had our rain cover...Rob and the kids and I would have slept in the tent because it just wasn't raining that bad at all. At dinner Rob did mention to his uncle Chris, who picked the campsite, that there was a reason this wash was so wide. But, it was a box canyon and seemed safe enough.

Now, my mom lives right in front of a wash. Having lived there for awhile, I have come to recognize the sound of rushing water in a wash. So about 2:30am when I woke up to the wind slamming the 5th wheel around, I was pretty shocked/worried/terrified to hear what I thought was the sound of rushing water. I was hoping it was my paranoia setting in because no one else was awake. I laid there for a little bit, praying of course, before I woke up Rob and asked him to go look and see if it was just the wind so I could calm down and go back to sleep. (I didn't know where the flashlight was or I would have checked myself.)

It was NOT, in fact, the wind. It wasn't even raining. But we were in for a long night riding out a mighty desert FLASH FLOOD!!!

Rob and his uncle Gene had to go out in it to get the four-wheelers to higher ground. Rob said a couple of times he had to grab ahold of Gene or he would have been swept right away. All we could do for the next few hours was pray and watch as the water levels got higher and higher. It was already too late to try and leave. We were forced to ride it out. We discussed who would account for which child if we had to abandon the vehicles and grab the kids and try to climb up out of the canyon.

Rob and I had just bought his truck in May and were facing the fear that it was going to roll or worse, be swept away. Another blessing---it started to sink. I call it a blessing because it didn't go anywhere. The right side eventually stopped sinking and we breathed a sigh of relief and somehow got a few more hours of sleep before we'd have to get up and try to dig out. Our tent was set up right at the rear of the truck. Do you see it in any of these pictures?





The next morning we surveyed the damage. Rob's uncle Chris's truck was in the front of the line-up so he took the brunt of the water as it broke the flow of water coming at the rest of the vehicles.



I wish I would learn to not talk on video. Does my voice really sound like that in person?! Gah! What an über-dork.









Chris's engine was a mess. I still can't believe that thing started.

Now, we had family joining us on Saturday for a birthday party so Cheryl and I went out on one of the four-wheelers 2 or 3 miles to the road to 1) see if we could get cell phone service, 2) maybe call a tow company to help get us out, 3) tell family to turn back because the wash was so wet we didn't want to have to dig anyone else out.

When we got to the road we discovered we could NOT get cell service yet so we decided to wait there for a little bit in case family came because we didn't want them to get stuck. They were supposed to be there around 8 or 9am. All the while we were watching a second storm move in right OVER our camp! We were hoping the boys had been able to dig us out because it didn't look good.

Finally, after waiting for about 45 minutes, Cheryl and I decided that we'd better get back rather than chance being stuck out there with no shelter when that next storm hit. Not even a mile back we were getting pounded by hail and lightening was hitting so close we could feel the electricity and it scared us so bad we jumped off the ATV and ran for cover. We found a tiny overhang to hide under but we still got mud all down our backs as the freezing cold water ran off the mountain. We videoed it in case we died. Just kidding, lol.

After that cleared up we got back to camp and found them finishing digging out that last of the trucks. We were throwing muddy gear (the clean freak in me just had to look away) into the trucks and trying to get the ATV's loaded into the 5th wheel when we heard this rushing sound and we looked over towards the water source at the end of the box canyon.

All of a sudden this wall of water crests over the top of the canyon and comes crashing down over it, headed straight towards us.

I was standing in front of the door to the 5th wheel right by Riley and Gabby. Chris shouts, "Get the heck outta here!" I'm immediately panicked because they were still trying to load ATV's. I just knew if we stayed that this flash flood would be worse since the ground was already so saturated.

Rob tossed me the keys to his truck and told me to leave. In a matter of seconds I grabbed Gabby and Riley and ran towards the truck with Ryan hot on my heels. I threw it into 4 wheel drive and hit the gas pedal and never looked back.

Oh, I wanted to but I was terrified because I had never driven in 4WD before. At one point I started to slow down slightly and I could feel the truck sinking so I continued to gun it all the way out of the canyon. I know I looked like a mad woman flying outta there. Hey, I was worried about my babies, and besides, I never saw any posted speed limit signs, ha ha.

When I got to the road I was so far ahead of anyone, all I could do was watch the wash and pray that they were all okay. It was a full 5 minutes before I could even hear ATV engines headed our way. There was already water washing past the turnoff to the main road.

Everyone made it out just in time. And wouldn't you know, just then is when the rest of the family showed up and said how they'd saved us all.



I don't remember ever praying so hard and so much in my life but I will always remember how grateful I was that we were all safe and how blessed we were for all the small and not-so-small miracles that weekend.



Once we got back in town, mud clean-up began. The first car-wash we went to refused to let us wash the car there. I don't really blame the owner.



We had mud on the inside of the door for months. However we all made it safely home and celebrated birthday's and had a great adventure to tell all of our friends about.



MORAL: Don't camp in a wash in Vegas when rain is predicted on Friday the 13th!

ACTUAL MORAL: Stay on high ground! It's the only safe place in a storm. (Physically and spiritually.)


---Chris, I'm still waiting for my t-shirt!!!