The Bottom Dropped Out - Sun., Nov. 3 continued

Literally, I can't get this picture out of my head. The bottom of Jim and Peri's 5th wheel was hanging down, apparently after being totally saturated from the flood. Unbelievable. You can also see some of the sticks and twigs that got caught under the slide-out.

The underbelly of Jim & Peri's 5th wheel.

You can see through the sagging underbelly to daylight on the other side.

On our way from New Braunfels to San Marcos we stopped and picked up Subway sandwiches for lunch and took them out to the RV park. We sat at a picnic table for lunch, then started clearing out the rest of their possessions. They had cleaned out a lot of it over the previous day or two. Most everything in their "basement" was a loss. Bob helped Jim take out the washer and the two of them made a couple of trips to the storage unit they rented in San Marcos.

The water went into their 5th wheel, probably through the slides and door, saturated the carpet, and ruined all their cameras which were in a bottom cupboard. Thankfully they had time to grab the dogs and their computers before the water rose too high. The water did not go up high enough to damage anything in the bedroom or in cupboards above the floor.

The story at the RV park was that the water started coming into the park from the river about 5:30 a.m., but no one knocked on their door until 7:30 a.m. If someone had driven through the park at 5:30 a.m. and honked horns people would have had time to drive their vehicles to safety and save their things. By the time someone knocked on their door, the car they had parked in front of the 5th wheel had water up to the seat and they could not move it out of the way. Luckily they were able to save their truck!

The 5th wheel and car were totaled by the insurance company. Peri's car had already been towed away. They wanted to make sure all their belongings were out of the 5th wheel before the insurance company had the 5th wheel towed out as well.

While we were there, a tow truck came in to take another 5th wheel out.

Someone else's 5th wheel being towed out.

RVs closer to the river floated a short distance out of their sites; one even went over the bank, but it had already been towed out. Here are some pics of damage in the RV park.

The following trailer was knocked off it's supports and had floated against a tree. The tree stopped it from floating away.

Trailer wedged against tree next to its site.

The following trailer floated out of its spot, but landed with its supports still under it. You can see it is sitting on the grass and not in a site.

Same trailer as above, different angle.

Peri said the water flowed faster than that.

Letting the electrical boxes dry out.

I took the following photo so you can see all the mud that was graded off the road. Look at the middle left side of the photo. If you click to enlarge the pic you can also see the water line on the 5th wheel.

Miscellaneous debris.

Trailer knocked off supports.

The river is down in the bottom of this. You can see how the
trees are bent over from the force of the flood water.

Peri said the flood water was up to the top of the gazebo pictured below. They think the water was a total of 30-40' deep at the height of the flood. The water in the river crested over the bank, then it went to the top of the gazebo, which is at the top of the bank. That's a lot of water!

Flotsam and  jetsam stuck on the gazebo.

One thing Peri and Jim stressed to us is to make sure your insurance has enough coverage for personal belongings. Be sure you check your insurance policy to see how much coverage and how much deductible you have. They are going to up the insurance on their personal belongings after this incident.

You can see the water line, and mud caking everything.

Their kitchen floor was covered in water and mud.

While Peri and Jim were on their summer travels they had brand new decals put on the 5th wheel in Arizona and brand new axles and two new tires put on in California. Plus Jim had just finished building a new cabinet/ table combination for their dining room. What a shame to have this happen.

Soon they will be shopping for a replacement RV and car. We hope you find exactly what you're looking for and that you won't have to do a lot of work on it...ever.

Let us know if there's anything else we can do...like help you move back into a new RV.

Oh, there were a couple of other photos that may pique your interest.

The car below floated to its current location from somewhere else. It is sitting at the side of the road leading into the RV park. You can see the water line on the car.

After we left their RV park, we drove along a side road to see where the river had crossed the road. There was al locked gate blocking the road down to the river crossing. Here's why...

Debris on the bridge blocked the road.

Good night all you cats.

Travel Bug out.

Wurstfest Volksmarch - Sun., Nov. 3

After the time change it felt decadent to sleep in until it was light out. This morning we drove 45 minutes north to New Braunfels for the Wurstfest Volksmarch sponsored by the New Braunfels Marsch und Wandergruppe. Bob and I opted to do the 5K walk so we could be to Peri & Jim's 5th wheel in San Marcos by noon. With our paid walk ($3) we each received a ticket to get into the Wurstfest in New Braunfels (a $10 value).

A gentleman in lederhosen to pose with.

Sponsoring club's banner.

The walk started at The Christmas Shoppe in New Braunfels and was an out-and-back walk. The day was absolutely gorgeous, about 72 degrees. Along the route we saw a few interesting sights, including ornamental grasses, mailboxes, yard decor, flowers, and deer.

One of the storefronts in The Christmas Shoppe courtyard.

Flowers covered the fence in front of two homes.

Bob said there must have been a sale on purple paint. The mailbox matches the house and there was a small house behind the big one, also painted purple.

Cool statue of kids playing with butterflies.

We came upon the Hoity Toit Beer Joint where "You can't get there from here without a six pack." The side of the building had a hand-painted mural about the Hoity Toit.

Hoity Toit mural

Briggs & Stratton dealer.

Another unique mailbox.

 The sun was shining through the ornamental grasses this morning and looked ethereal.

I call this "Cotton Candy Grass"

We walked up to a hilltop on Lakeview Blvd. where there were many beautiful estates. As we were walking up the hill, we could see evidence of the rainstorms. The shoulder on the side of the road had deep ruts and exposed rocks from the water that must have rushed down the hillside.

I think this estate is called "Tuscany."

Quite a few deer live in the neighborhood.

At an estate called "Deerwood Springs."

Deerwood Springs estate

A young buck at Deerwood Springs.

Continuing on Lakeview Blvd., here are a few more photos...

Yard ornament - an old well pump.

Pretty mailbox holder.

 A unique front yard fence.

Cacti growing on a rock.

Beautiful buck.

Same buck with a doe.

Soon after this, we reached the checkpoint/turnaround for the 5K walk and headed back to the start point. Also in The Christmas Shoppe complex, was this carousel.

Artwork at the top of the carousel shows scenes from around the world.

When we finished the Volksmarch, we headed up to San Marcos to see Jim and Peri. I will recount that in another blog.

Travel Bug out.

Central Texas Flood - Sat., Nov. 2

You may have heard the news about flooding in central Texas last Thursday. We were not affected in San Antonio, but a few miles north it was a different story. The small town of Wimberley had 13" of rain overnight, Canyon Lake had 11.3", and Austin had 5-6".

Many rivers criss-cross central Texas and those rivers came up fast! Our friends Jim and Peri were in their RV in an RV park near the San Marcos River. Here are Peri's words about their harrowing experience:

"I'm sorry I haven't called you, it's been a little crazy. We were awakened by a loud knock on our door yesterday morning and when I opened the door, the water was up to the second step of the RV. We quickly got dressed and were able to get the pickup out [it was parked in a different location], but my car was parked in front of the RV and there was already water up to the seat. After we got the pickup out, Jimmy waded back in to be sure our neighbors had gotten out. She had to be taken out in a canoe and Jimmy had to help her husband walk through the water. The water was up to my waist at that time. We had to wait out the flood by the clubhouse unable to get out until the water receded. The water went in the RV at the slides and maybe the door. Both the RV and the car were totaled. Locals that have lived there 30 years say they have never seen the water rise that fast. Apparently, all the rain from the Wimberley area came down the Blanco River and then backed up on the San Marcos River where we were. We were at the same spot we were at last year. It looks like the water rose about 40 feet. The river crested at 9:45 a.m. and then started going down. By about 11, we were able to go back into the fifth wheel with a layer of mud inside. The insurance has totaled the fifth wheel. We spent today getting stuff out and only cleared out the den and kitchen. We had no idea how much stuff you can fit inside until you have to start packing everything up. We still have the bedroom and basement. We're not sure when they will be towing it off, but we want to be sure we have everything out before they do. We're staying with our daughter right now in Austin...It looks like we'll be shopping for another RV."

Here are a couple of photos Peri sent over...

Jim & Peri's 5th wheel.

The high water mark on the side of their 5th wheel.

Our thoughts are with Peri and Jim while they deal with their loss. Tomorrow we will head up to San Marcos to help them finish packing.

We have been busy working. Once again, I have one day off this week. I will be working at the insurance office Monday through Wednesday, and at our RV park office from Thursday through Saturday this coming week. Bob has also been working long hours.

This morning Bob volunteered at a booth for Random event center at the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out Against Diabetes." The event featured a 5K run/walk, booths, vendors, rock-climbing wall, children's bounce house, and two stages with music.

After work, Bob took me to dinner at El Mirador Mexican restaurant just south of downtown San Antonio. The restaurant has a nice ambiance. I had Pollo a la Parilla with poblano sauce, Bob chose enchiladas verdes. The meal was very enjoyable. The Pollo a la Parilla was the tastier dish.

Tonight Bob we have the Trailblazers vs. Spurs game on TV. I don't know who to root for. We have been Trailblazer fans for 35 years. Now that we're Texans we'll have to root for BOTH. We'll be happy no matter who wins. Both teams are very evenly matched.

Travel Bug tuckered out.