June 16th

Thursday was definitely an interesting time. Never. Never. Never...have I seen rain come down like a wall.. I drove through it.. I witnessed it sweeping through my neighborhood... The water came up to my doorway.

I freaked.

I was smart enough to park my car on the top of the highest hill I could find. And I managed to get through the rivers across the roads with my guitars (of course) and all the clothes I could carry. Everything else in my apt. went up on stuff..

Of course, I was concerned for my son.. and he came by as I was packing to leave... He laughed at me..because the first thing he noticed was my rocking chair that I had put up in the air. After talking to my ex-wife...she teased me about that saying..."well, at least you made sure you saved your rocking chair!" haha. (My son was headed to a friend's house that was high and dry just a ways from me...whew!!)

Just as the 2nd deluge of rain came in... I boarded my auto and headed out West and North as fast and as crazy as I could. I remember driving down hwy A (the only road left open north out of Baraboo) like a madman.... I was driving about 75 or 80 MPH...screaming at the top of my lungs... as the water came down like it had a personal vendetta against me. I literally skipped across the now-forming lakes crossing the road.. I made my way to the interstate... and muscled my way all the way past Mauston... just as I saw they were closing the highway behind me.

In a way, I felt just like Indiana Jones as he was running away from that rolling stone.. I'm not sure about much after that...because I kept cruisin'.. until I got up near LaCrosse. I started looking around and suddenly wondered..."Why the Hell am I in LaCrosse?" Turned my car around and headed back South into the waiting dark and ominous clouds ahead.

I stopped in Mauston at the Super 8 motel.. got a room.. soaked, exhausted and scared as hell, got a room there. I was especially concerned because I had given my cell number to a neighbor lady to please call me and let me know what was going on at the apt. complex where I live. She called, and said that everything WAS GONE. She said everything was under 4 feet of water!!!

OMG!!!!

The next morning.. I called into work.. all the roads headed South had been closed. That funny little expression.. "you can't get there from here".. really did apply.
The thing is, though.. I cannot believe how many calls I had gotten from people I didn't even know.. many of them from the people I work with. They offered me assistance.. and shelter and help.... I cannot tell you... how much that meant to me.

People I didn't even know stepped up to let me know they cared! Wow. That really did bring tears to my eyes.. Even my boss.. wow.. what a cool guy. Can't say enough about him.

The upshot about all of it ... It took my about 3 1/2 hours to find my way home.There was no damage to my place at all (The neighbor lady that called me must have been really panic-ed) and most of the people I cared about were okay. My son was safe.. and by the time I got home.. you wouldn't even know that anything had even happened (except for the debris left in the roads). I got home and everything was fine. No water really anywhere.. and the little creek that turned into a monster the day before? hardly anything..

I said a prayer as I got home. I was completely floored at how people were at their best during a time of crisis. It gave me hope. And I hope I will not forget the FLOOD of aught 8....

But, after what we've been though.. I offer my fervant prayers to those in Iowa (which just a few weeks ago, I traveled through).. and South near the mighty miss. Just goes to prove that we at forever at the mercy of nature...and of God.
Amen!