Catalina State Park is a beautiful spot not far out of Tucson. Behind it are the Catalina Mountains, and directly across the street is just a huge mass of suburban sprawl. Inside the park you feel like you are way out in the middle of nowhere, but should you need a suburban staple like Walmart or Red Lobster you can be there in a minute.
We still had a rental car for a couple days so we decided to run back down to Grammy’s for dinner on New Year’s Eve. We also huddled in the car for warmth now and then.
We had a nice dinner with Grammy, watched a movie, and contemplated just spending the night, but since we hadn’t brought anything with us we said goodbye again, and drove back to the bus in pouring rain around 9 p.m. We woke the next morning to a park ranger banging on our door to let us know that the only road in or out of the park was closed. The rains of the night before had rushed out of the mountains and flooded us in with a literal river.
Having a look at the water I talked to a guy who said he came back at 9:30 the night before and had to tow a car that had gotten stuck in the mud of the newly running river. They had then trudged across on foot back to their RV. We had passed through thirty minutes earlier and not seen a thing out of the ordinary.
In our boat, a one day delay is meaningless, but in the RV we were immediately checking out the food situation. We’d planned to hit the grocery store that morning on our way out of the park. We had two hot dogs, three brats, and some random leftovers. None of us would go to bed with satisfied stomachs that night, but it wouldn’t be too hard on us. By afternoon, though, the rumblings around camp started up. The river was still rising. We could be stuck for days. Yikes. If that were the case, then we definitely would have to eat Lowe.
Luckily, the rain had stopped that night, and New Year’s Day cleared up into a beautiful, cold one. There were a ton of geocaches in the park, made by someone who had taken great pains to make them interesting with puzzle games and video games to open the locks.
We went to bed that night hungry, and pretty sure we weren’t getting out the next day. We woke to ice and a bulldozer shoving around piles of mud in a now slow trickling stream. A couple hours later we were free. 2022 was off to a good start.
5 Comments on “The Great New Year’s Flood”
So about the bear wearing the crown…?
haha, that’s what I saw too.
Yeah, at first I thought it was a Buffalo, but after scrutinizing further…yes, it’s a Black Bear!
With you all being the foremost authority on boat vs vehicle I have to ask what you consider the best mode for travel in Mexico. I am considering a long passage to this country but wonder which mode makes more sense and knowing there is no one answer. I feel like the boat is a cleaner lifestyle. I sort of consider this like joining the Army vs the Navy which I have done both but want a professionals opinion. I am thinking the van thing but everytime you buy a new vehicle type I also look into that type of vintage equipment. Really I dont believe anyone else has even come close to what you have done as a family and as a couple. The list of transportation modes gets longer and I continue to be impressed by your adventures,
How exciting! A flood in the desert! We spent the past 2 winters in Arizona, wondering about all those road signs warning about flooding-“When flooded, turn around. Don’t drown.” Seemed strange as we never had a drop of rain! We got tired of cactus & decided to winter on the Gulf Coast of Texas-WRONG! We’ve been freezing here & longing for the desert warmth, so I felt actually heartened to see you freezing there as well, with ice patches even! 🙂 Hope it warms up again for us all soon. Happy trails.