Is it spring yet?

Spring is attempting to happen.  Except, after such a heavy and hard winter, the sudden warming temps have had disastrous results.  Currently 11 of the 44 Idaho counties have declared a state of emergency.  Many bridges and dams (natural, earthen) have been washed out. Roads are flooded.  Most ski resorts have closed for extreme avalanche conditions.  Holy balls.  What a winter indeed!

I was talking to my mom on the phone (I try to do that often now that Dad is gone).  I was lamenting about the weight I have gained over the winter because I could not get out and do the activities I usually do and be as active as I try to be. The roads were not conducive to driving much and the sidewalks were virtually nonexistent until last week.  Not having a reliable vehicle during this time also did not help matters.  Mom mentioned that this will be a winter that we will talk about in the future.  It is a winter to be remembered because of its severity and impact.

During the flooding, I went out to Deadman Falls in Glenns Ferry, ID.  I saw a post by one of the local news stations from a man who used his drone to record the falls.  Usually the falls are almost dry.  The posted video showed a massive cascading waterfall akin to Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls.  So I decided to go out there on my day off and see for myself. Holy balls!  It was impressive.  The road to get there, Sailor Creek Rd, is a shelf road along side a plateau that goes from the Snake River to the top of a large plateau.  The sides next to the cliff and the sides into oblivion were being eroded away by all the water run off.  Parts of the road at the top were flooded a bit (not terribly deep, definitely crossable and safe).

When I arrived, I was the only one there.  I recorded it myself.  More people arrived. I was in awe.  The roar of the falls.  The mist forming a rainbow and billowing up. The massive creek in the canyon below, flowing out into the Snake River.  The massive power of nature is simply awe-inspiring.  I was so happy I made the trip out there.  A few days later a friend of mine went to see the falls and they were at most 1/10th the size of the falls I saw. And then a few days ago (~10d after I went), the falls are virtually gone.

I was curious about the flooding and wished there was more for me to do to help.  There was a Team Rubicon Op in Payette, ID, which had mass devastation from the heavy snow fall all winter and the Weiser River flooding its banks. Many businesses had their rooves collapse and roads inaccessible.  I unfortunately, was not able to make the Op.  Instead, I ran my first half marathon, Run 4 Luv, in Boise with my friend.  I had hardly at all trained for the event (stupid winter).  But I did it.  I managed to finish at exactly 3h00m56s!!  Yes!!  Huzzah!  I have another half marathon in March, I am hoping to buy an entry from someone for the Race to Robie (it sold out in 12mtoday, blarg…I was busy on a call for work when it opened).  May I have my GORUCK Heavy in DC and June I have the Glacier NP Half marathon.  Busy schedule!  I better start amping up my training!

This past weekend I was involved in something that made me so proud.  So happy to be involved.  I know I have mentioned in previous posts that I wish I could do more in my community and the world around me to help others and make a positive difference.  Well.  I think I found the answer.  Team Rubicon (https://teamrubiconusa.org/).  OMFG yes!  I have found my outside-of-work calling.   I got a text early last week requesting my assistance at an Op in Elko.  They were also devastated by flooding from all the rain and snow melt. An earthen dam in NE Elko County broke and flooded a remote area.  But the waters had to flow somewhere and they went to the Humboldt River, which runs through Elko.  It is my understanding that the storm drains became overwhelmed and belched out water causing at least 100 people were affected as their homes were flooded out near the river.  And unfortunately, the areas affected are also some of the most economically destitute areas of all of Elko.  These people already had almost nothing and now with the flood, some of them did lose everything. 

Here are some articles on it:

http://elkodaily.com/news/local/rising-humboldt-causes-extensive-flooding-in-elko/article_fad7e036-a87d-5f27-99ae-cf231012e6b8.html

http://nevadafloods.org/

http://www.ktvn.com/story/34534909/elko-flood-recovery-efforts

Well, I had no excuse not to go.  I had not been to Elko since 2009 when I was in AmeriCorps in N NV as a VISTA.  I wanted to help and I wanted to see the area again.  I arrived Thurs evening having taken ID Hwy 51/NV Hwy 225, which, let me tell you, the section of highway through Humboldt National Forest is hella eerie at night with not a soul in sight for hours.  Winding around at 25mph knowing there are mountains on either side of you and a creek to the side of you.  Going up and down and around, all over hoping no wildlife become suicidal.

I arrived a day early.  The first day, Friday, I helped out the American Red Cross ER crew who came in from Salt Lake City area.  I rode around in the ERV (looks like a giant ambulance) looking at the damage, making contact with people, moving tools/equipment, etc around. That evening, I met up with a friend/former roommate of mine who moved to Elko with his (then gf, now…) fiancé.  We went to the Oscar short film presentation at one of the neatest bars I have ever been to.  It is called the Western Folklife Center and hosts the Cowboy Poetry even every year (http://www.nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org/).  It is a beautifully restored bar that was built in the 1880s.  Almost all of the short films presented were foreign films with subtitles (http://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/).  I liked quite a few of them.  My favourite was Timecode, a 15min Spanish short.  It was awesome!!

The next day Team Rubicon met up at the Home Depot parking lot.  There was a couple from SLC area, the main guy drove up with the TR trailer from Las Vegas and the rest (~4 others) were local to the Elko area.  Four of us were assigned as Team Leaders and given charge of spontaneous volunteers, i.e. community members, non-TR members. I was co-assigned with another TR member four basement apartments that were flooded to the ceilings.  We had to remove all the personal belongings (trash them), remove flooring, demolishing walls and insulation.  It was basically a full demolition task.  With, of course, a few inches of water, which only got worse once we addressed the carpeting. It was assumed the water was gray, hopefully not black.  But we wore out PPE (personal protective equipment) the whole time: waterproof boots, hard hats, gloves, face mask and eye protection. Most of those things were donated by Barrick Mining Co.  I got an amazingly nice set of mining mucking boots with steel tipped toes. 

It took us from 0800h to 1500h to clear all four apartments.  We had a lot of volunteers help out, including some residents whose homes were also flooded.  The other TR members and volunteers worked on the local church basement that was flooded out and started the same process on a house down the street.  It was so uplifting to see the community come together to help out those in need.  Especially a part of town most residents most likely never visit or think much about. 

Here are the stats of Operation Winding Water on Day 1 (https://teamrubiconusa.org/operation/operation-basco-fiasco/) :

This is a quote from the local team lead on the TR NV FB page: “The 114 Volunteers helping out with the flood recovery efforts literally accomplished the followingtoday:

452 volunteer hours
23 loads of Roll Off bins to the City Landfill
78 tons of debris
506 cubic yards of material
Removed 6900 square feet of carpet

Along with Linkan Engineering, Home Depot, Elko Sanitation, Charlie Myers and his team, Wllison Electric, American Red Cross and kick ass civilians we moved mountains.”

Day 2 stats:

“Today Elko's 191 Volunteers showed the world that we are strong and resilient. When one of our neighbors needs help we come together to ensure no one is left behind.

I wish I could shake everyone's hand and say thank you personally. I saw the enthuisiasm of the young guided by the persistance and determination of those closer to my age getting it done.

Today Elko moved

38 tons of debris
mucked out 8 homes
provided 644 hours of service

I had to leave at 1400h PST in order to make it back to the Treasure Valley safely.  I spent another day in Elko due to the snow/rain storm in the mountains.  I did not wish to traverse that drive in the dark in those conditions.  Not to mention my body was hellishly sore from Day 1.  I was very sad to go in the middle of the Op.  I had so much fun helping others and being a leader and telling people about Team Rubicon.  I wish I could have stayed the whole time.  It is so empowering to be surrounded and work with others that feel the same (or similarly) to me regarding giving back and community service.

So far, it has taken me a month to write this post.  I add to it when I can.  Lately, I have been lacking motivation to write much.  I think I am a wee bit down after not living my standard preferred schedule for so long.  I did get my trailer moved last week to the place I used to live.  Lo and behold, my slideout is broken.  So I have a repair person coming out this Friday.  Hopefully it can get fixed and I can move in.  I miss all my gear and stuff…which is in a friend’s garage.  And I am eternally thankful for that friend and the ones who have been hosting me for over a month.  I feel very bad and feel like I am intruding in on them, even if they say otherwise.

My GORUCK Heavy is in May.  And I am barely in good enough shape to do a Light, much less a Heavy.  I have no idea why, but my stress level is so high. Probably due to life.  Fingers crossed I get my shit back in order when I move.  I have got to get out of this funk.

This past weekend I went out to Atlanta, ID.  Which is typically snowed in during the winter.  It is also 80+mi of washboard dirt road into the central part of the Boise Mountain area.  It made for a long day. And I was disappointed we simply drove there, rarely stopped, turned around and went back.  I realized that my mentality to off-roading has changed since I used to do it so frequently.  I now no longer want to sit and drive for hours.  I want to drive with a destination in mind and then explore that area by foot.  I want to exercise to make the trip worth it.  I want to experience the area in which I am driving.  Driving, taking pics and turning around seems almost like a waste to me. With that being said, it was a great group of people that went and I enjoyed their company.  But I definitely felt stir crazy, too.  I wanted to move.  More exercise. Less drive.  I want to go back out to Atlanta area and spend a few days hiking/snowshoeing, etc.  There are a lot of hot springs in the area along the Middle Fork of the Boise River, too. Fucking fantastically beautiful area.