I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain

This James Taylor song came to my mind over the last few days.

Last Monday it started to rain and it didn't stop for the next 48 hours. It wasn't just rain, it was a heavy downpour, a deluge. When the rain finally stopped sometime on Wednesday parts of our county were completely under water. The evacuation orders got out on Tuesday, schools across the county were closed.

It was the highest flood in a generation.

Thursday was a beautiful day with sun, blue sky and little white clouds, so Liz and I decided to go to our lake and see what it looks like. We knew that the park was closed and we had to walk in from the other side. Since I know all the trails away from the lake we were able to get around half of it.

We hadn't quite expected what we saw.

The lake had expanded considerably. This is what it usually looks like (almost same perspective):

Another look:

... and what it usually looks like. This view is from the dam, but the water had come half way up the dam. The treeline in the photo above - those three big pine trees - marks where the trail runs along.

It was shocking and fascinating at the same time. We spent four hours at the lake, exploring. Over and over again, that James Taylor song popped into my head. Yes, we really got our share - firestorm and deluge.

This is a paved path in drier times, now covered by the waters of the lake. I loved the reflections.

This lake is a reservoir designed to hold storm water from several creeks that run into it and it sure was doing its job. But it reminded us of a swamp.

Can you see the little turtle?

When we came to the parking lot at the boat launch, there was nothing there - except water.

Only the day before the water was much higher. You can see it because of all the debris that is left on the road. It's good to see that the water recedes rather quickly.

Under all this water is the parking lot. I've never realized the beautiful view because all I saw was the paved lot. Now it's a lake.

Geese and ducks and other waterfowl were everywhere, enjoying the extended terrain they're having for a few days. They explored the picnic area.

The birds sure loved it. I think they found a lot of nutritious stuff in the wet soil. Robins and California quails were abundant, but we also saw and heard many other birds.

This is one of the creeks that runs into the lake. It looks beautiful, right? It's hard to believe that this area is completely dry in the summer.

The little towns and villages along the Russian River that were evacuated now have to clean up - a huge task. Last night it rained again and there is more rain in the forecast. I just hope it's not another Atmospheric River.