Karen and I were both gone when the remnants of Odile rolled through the Portal/Rodeo area. Karen got a few warning emails and later a bunch about the severity and miscellaneous damage. I was a little concerned on my way home, however; other than the driveway there’s no signs of damage.

Before I get into the goings on, this is what I woke up to. The most interesting thing in this picture is that the tall grass is all laying down. We’ve never seen this before.

I checked the rain gauge this morning. I don’t think it’s ever been over two inches. It was full. So, five inches plus.

Not a rain gauge, but you get the idea

There was no water in either house. The ground is very wet and we will not need to water for awhile, but nothing exciting.

The worst spot is the front gate and it’s not too bad. It’s going to need work though. The truck went through without any issue but there’s no way the mini cooper is going anywhere soon.

A lot of our neighbors are trapped on their property. This is primarily due to the runoff coming from Horseshoe Canyon. There’s a rumor that the dam way back in Horseshoe Canyon broke. (Karen and I visited it here) Long after the rain had stopped, there was a roar that could heard far off and the water rose and may have jumped its bank. It’s assumed that was the damn breaking. There was a second rush a few hours later and the speculation is that the damn broke partially and later completely. The last time Karen and I hiked up there it was nearly impassable- on foot. I can’t imagine what it’s like now or if Horseshoe Canyon is even accessible at all.

Highway 80 was closed for a while yesterday from the water leaving Cave Creek. It’s was still about a foot high when I drove through about 1:00 am. I hit significant water on 80 about 4 times.

It sounds like most everywhere there is a bridge the roads have been closed. This would be a good day to have a helicopter.

One last picture of the grass laying down.