Day 119: The sign says,"Water over roadway." I don't think that's entirely accurate at this location, although if you were to have looked in the opposite direction, it was true in another hundred feet or so and then again further down the hill. And by "hill," I am referring to a gentle decline of about 50 feet, not enough to make me gear down when I'm on my bike and climbing back up toward home. Here, the waters of a small creek come in from the north, the stream fed by runoff from taller, forested hills. A channel roughly ten feet deep on the far side of the pasture holds 12" of water during normal conditions; when flood-producing rains occur, the stream leaps its banks and races to reach the ditch shown in the photo. It continues on for another quarter mile or so where it is joined by another side channel, thence to pass through a culvert beneath the highway and into the great Nisqually. However, the ditch can't handle rains like we've had recently, and the stream gets angry when it finds its way blocked by asphalt. It pounds and digs, determined to follow its natural course. While water over the roadway may seem to be the most immediate concern, water under the roadway poses a much greater threat to motorists who can't see potholes and collapses through the turbid flow. Don't be an idiot. Turn around. Don't drown. And yes, I had already ascertained that the piece of verge supporting me when I took this photo had not been undermined.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Water Under Roadway
Day 119: The sign says,"Water over roadway." I don't think that's entirely accurate at this location, although if you were to have looked in the opposite direction, it was true in another hundred feet or so and then again further down the hill. And by "hill," I am referring to a gentle decline of about 50 feet, not enough to make me gear down when I'm on my bike and climbing back up toward home. Here, the waters of a small creek come in from the north, the stream fed by runoff from taller, forested hills. A channel roughly ten feet deep on the far side of the pasture holds 12" of water during normal conditions; when flood-producing rains occur, the stream leaps its banks and races to reach the ditch shown in the photo. It continues on for another quarter mile or so where it is joined by another side channel, thence to pass through a culvert beneath the highway and into the great Nisqually. However, the ditch can't handle rains like we've had recently, and the stream gets angry when it finds its way blocked by asphalt. It pounds and digs, determined to follow its natural course. While water over the roadway may seem to be the most immediate concern, water under the roadway poses a much greater threat to motorists who can't see potholes and collapses through the turbid flow. Don't be an idiot. Turn around. Don't drown. And yes, I had already ascertained that the piece of verge supporting me when I took this photo had not been undermined.
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