NOT a Race Report

For those who might frequent my ramblings from time to time you might remember that at the beginning of the season I was on my merry way to Syllamo's Revenge when I decided I wanted to take a more indirect route. In doing so it lead me through one of Mother Nature's wonders:a tornado

Well this time Mother Nature decided it was time to give me another scare: flash flood.

Ok this might be a little exaggerated but I will tell you this being woke at 1am by absolute pandemonium would change your mind.

So let's start from the beginning. JJ offered up his pop up camper for us to have a compound at the Hermann Under the Lights CX race. He wound up with a very nice location(many commented on it) to the race course. Hooked up, awning out the compound was set up and ready for shop talk/race talk/balanced life and such things we cyclists gossip about.

After that there was a race. A couple of us participated in. Some did good. Others threw themselves at the ground. Others broke stuff. Then others decided the lightening might be a bad thing and called the race after two laps.

That's when it all get's interesting. Mother Nature raises her hand to demonstrate that she still is pissed about the last Big Bertha that JJ & myself sacrificed in the mountains of Colorado. Well to seek revenge she decides to open the heavens on us as we try to watch The Flying Scotsman (which we concluded was German).

But low and behold she threw her best at us. First lightening, then hail, then nonstop rain(as in 5 inches in 3hrs). Well unannounced to us the campground we stayed at (and several others 50-75 or more people) was flood prone. Not just your normal flood prone either, this freakin creek was furious. By the time we crashed 11ish to the time we were woken with a nice screaming, pounding on the door "You guys have to get the hell out of the campground now" alert. From this point on things are quite the blur. I do know I stepped out of the pop up camper (PUC) into over the knee deep rushing, cold as hell creek water.

We (Ira, Cale, JJ, & myself) start to unload ALL valuables out the PUC, JJ turns to me and states "Get your car out first!" Well I didn't notice but the whole lower fascia was submerged. Luckily the beast fired up to rip it to higher ground. Then returning to unload what I could. It was still raining, no rain coat, in shorts standing in cold ass creek water watching as 10 5th wheels tried to get out. Honestly it was very scary to watch all this going on. Everyone escaped narrowly but a couple cars, trailers, tents, and other camp items didn't. We watched as the PUC sat still with the water rising to above the door. By 3:30 JJ & Ira were able to get the PUC out of the campground as we slept up above the flooded area, in our cars.

After we regrouped we shared stories of all the craziness that occurred. Here are some highlights:

ACoe lost three wheels: only later to find them floating in the parking lot.

Ira was caught streaking

ACoe may have discovered a new sleep item: Water tent

I figured it was important to turn of the AC while the PUC was flooding.

Drunk old men in Hermann are only funny to themselves. Seriously almost got an arsebeating

JB lost a wheel: only to find it in the car, directly in front of him.

JJ is insured.

I'm not allowed in any camping item of JJ's every again.

Race Report here, soooonn