Last night, a route was opened to Estes Park. Today, I decided I had to get up there. I wanted to check on some friends and family and do some scouting to figure out if I could hike in to help my parents get out.
I drove down to Denver, over to Blackhawk (I-70, then 119), over to Nederland, then continued on 72 to Hwy 7 (close to Allenspark). At that intersection, there was a National Guardsman checking IDs and only letting people through with proof of residence or need.
It was about 2 miles from that point to our cabin, so I stopped there to check on things first. Our basement/storeroom/garage has some water in it, and water is pouring in through the electrical box down there, but the house itself is okay. It had electricity and running water, but no phone or internet.
After that quick check, I drove on into Estes. That's when the road started getting hairy. There was a section by Saint Malo's with a river crossing the road. They were just telling people to drive carefully through the foot of rushing water and stay on the downhill lane. I made it through fine, but was SO GLAD that I traded my Prius in for a Subaru 2 weeks ago. Shortly after that, one entire lane of the road was gone, completely eroded away.
First stop in Estes was the Red Cross emergency center. They had set up at my aunt and uncle's church. I looked around for people I knew and asked a bunch of questions. The workers were very helpful.
My phone was completely useless past Nederland - no calls, no internet, no checking email, no texts.
Next stop was the Rocky Mountain Park Inn (which all the locals refer to as "The Old Holiday Inn"). I was checking on the mom of a friend from Tyler. Her room was empty, and the maid in there cleaning it told me she had checked out and left this morning.
Two stops and I still hadn't seen anyone I was looking for. I was glad to know they weren't at the shelter and were able to leave the hotel, but still, I was starting to feel a little useless.
Next, I drove up Wonderview to MacGregor to Devil's Gulch. In passing the main street in Estes, I could still see water covering about 2/3 of the road, but only right in front of the town hall. It's uphill after that and looked fine. I couldn't make it very far up Devil's Gulch. The road had washed out and was completely blocked off.
So, I turned around and drove towards the Big Thompson Canyon on HWY 34 to see how far I could make it. There was a manned barricade at The Olympia Hotel/Mall Rd. The guy was a local (not National Guard), and when I told him I wanted to check on my aunt and uncle, he said I could drive halfway to Drake (to the Seven Pines), but NOT PAST that! Thankfully, Charlene and Gordon's cabin was within that limit.
HWY 34 was eerie. You've seen all the images online. Sections were gone. I had to drive in the completely wrong lane (but there was not a single other car on the road, so that was no problem). There was a picnic table and a propane tank in the middle of the road at one point. Eventually, carefully, I pulled up to Charlene & Gordon's. I knocked on the front door. I didn't know what to expect. But what I experienced was surreal. It was like any other time I've visited them. I was greeted with big hugs, Charlene was sitting on the couch, covered in her blanket, they were watching the news. They offered me coffee and homemade cookies! Their electricity came back on this afternoon. So, they had had some pioneering moments before that (generator hooked up to the fridge, gathering water from the stream outside to flush the toilets, wood fires in the fireplace to stay warm), but by the time I got there, it was back to life as normal. They are comfortable and have plenty of food. If they run out, they can leave the way I came. I am no longer worried about them.
When I left, I talked to the barricade guy again. We talked about how the worst of this whole situation is not having contact with anyone. He said he wished he could call his wife and just let her know to stay put and that he was okay. So I took her number with me and called her when I got back to cell phone range.
Then I drove up Dry Gulch Rd to see how close I could get to Glen Haven that way. I made it all the way to the switchbacks. There was quite a crowd there, all trying to figure out what to do. A truck pulled up with "Amateur Radio" on the side of it. Another guy in a truck full of water and Ramen noodles, trying to figure out how to help. Then a dirt bike zipped up (coming from Glen Haven), so we all pumped him for information. He said he had been down to the Glen Haven Fire Dept, but that we couldn't make it in our cars. What was left of the road was barely wide enough for his bike. I gave him a message to give to the fire dept about my parents and their dog.
Then I went home.
Long day. I'm glad I went. It made it all worthwhile when I was able to call my cousin and tell her how well her parents are doing.
I'm still not having much communication with my parents, but I think they are planning to be flown out tomorrow. I have no idea what their plan for Scooter is. I talked to the Larimer County Sheriff and found out that they will be flown to Ft. Collins. It should be easy for me to get them from there.
