[Sca-cooks] freeze free Caid

[Susan Fox-Davis]

OK, I'm a weather weenie.  My idea of 'roughing it' is a hotel without room
service.    However,  I live in a place where the natural disasters are not
necessarily weather-dependent.  I think "ground zero" of the 1994 Northridge
Quake is under my new house.  Having this camping equipment [which I would not
have owned were it not for the SCA]  made it relatively comfortable despite
lack of power, gas or water from outside.

But *please* check weather before you leave for a long trip like that again.
I'm glad you are OK, but gosh! that sounded like a close call or several.

Selene, in Shakeytown

"Laura C. Minnick" wrote:

> Wimps! Pikers! All of you!
>
> I'm still shaking from the drive I made yesterday- we had a weird and
> localized freak storm blow through the Willamette Valley yesterday. It hit
> the coast at Coos Bay, went inland at about a 45 degree angle to I-5 and
> turned north, picking up speed as it went. Averaged 50 MPH slammed into
> Eugene between 50-60, last official reading at the Eugene airport was 62
> MPH before it broke the equipment and destroyed the weather tower. It
> continued north, hit Albany, veered east again, and beat itself to death
> on the mountains...
>
> Now, of course, I didn't know there was a storm on the way. I'm blithely
> driving south from Portland, and I'm running late because I wasn't feeling
> well. There was heavy rain in Portland and through Salem, and naturally, I
> hit Albany from the north about the same time the edge of the storm was
> hitting from the south. From then on I was driving into the teeth of it.
>
> I saw: bits of lumber and chunks of foam insulation fly by. Tree
> limbs. BUndles of wire. The left front fender of a semi. Several tarps. A
> bundle of chains from under a truck. Cars- large and small, trucks- large
> and small, skittered around and off the highway. The water next to the
> road (fields either side are sheets of water- so much rain lately) so
> stirred up by the rain they look like latte- complete witht eh whipped
> cream on top.
>
> And then the trees started falling.
>
> There were trees down on I-5. When I got off of 5 and onto 126 to head
> into Eugene, it got worse. The farther into town, the worse it
> got. Oh... have you ever wept for a tree? Eugene is full of trees- big,
> beautiful, OLD trees. Well, there are fewer now. One in every
> block. Several of my favorite old ones. I was heartsick. And it took me an
> hour to get from 5 to where my kids live (a 10-minute trip). Getting out
> took 40 minutes- streets back out to the freeway were blocked.
>
> I'm ok. The kids are ok. According to the news last night, damamge in
> Eugene/Springfield may end up in the million $$$ due to power outages,
> trees, cars, streets, damage to buildings, etc.
>
> I also learned alot about driving while avoiding debris on the road,
> debris flying in the air, and other cars, and I have decided that the
> little diesel Volvo of Regina's that I've been driving has got to be the
> best thing to be in when the front end of a semi goes flying by!
>
> finished my tea and maybe I feel better now,
>
> 'Lainie
>
> ______________