Day #106 – Fear

Crystal River FL

Fear is an interesting thing.  It forces you to stand very still, run like Hell, or fight like crazy.

We had driven over to Inverness today.  It was raining, but we really hadn’t thought much about it.  Driving back home, it became torrential.  I’ve been in some storms over the years, but I’ve never experienced rain like that.  It was coming down so hard neither Kelly nor I could see the road or the white stripe we knew was along the side of the road.  There was nowhere to get off because ditches had quickly filled with water.  The bottom of every dip in the road was filled with water.  There were class III rapids swirling around conduits and drainage ditches.  And, it didn’t stop.

I was really scared.  I knew we didn’t have many options – stop the truck in the middle of the road or keep driving.  My mind quickly clicked through known data: the tide was coming in and this area was about two feet above sea level; there was very little wind, but more thunder than usual for Florida rain; there wasn’t much “high ground” around here; our campground had flooded on less rain than this a couple weeks ago; nothing really mattered except the life and safety of Kelly and me.

Since I had actually seen a weather forecast today and had heard it was going to get worse overnight, we quickly reached consensus on driving to the nearest Holiday Inn.  By the time we got there, the rain had settled down to a dull roar and we could get into the parking lot.  In the lobby, the Weather Channel was playing, with lots of beeping to signify tornado watches for our area.  We pulled out the plastic and booked a room.

My fear subsided, but I didn’t have the foolish feeling I usually get after being scared.  I continued to click through the data, but from a safer distance: the kayaks were tied to the trailer and it would hurt to lose them; passports were in the trailer (Bleep! They’re supposed to be with us at all times…bleep!); we had the clothes on our backs and really good raincoats; our bikes were on the truck; our expensive gear was in the truck; we wouldn’t lose that much if we lost the trailer; we’d have to find a creative way to continue the trip, but we were alive and safe.

By the time we had looked over our room, the rain had decreased to drizzle.  We decided to drive to the campground and see what it looked like.  Kelly offered to go by herself, but I couldn’t let her out of my sight.  I didn’t want to be left alone, worried and helpless.  I’d much rather we were together and helpless.

The land on either side of the access road to the camp ground was under water.  We had to drive through huge puddles on our way to our trailer.  Kelly had picked a site on high ground (See blog from Day #96), so we were hopeful.  Our trailer was sitting with puddle all around it, but our water and electric hoses were on dry ground and nothing had floated away.  She bravely waded through muck to get to our door, ensuring we’d have food, clothing, and toiletries for the night.

My fear didn’t settle down until we left the campground.  Even though I knew more rain, and possibly worse, was on the way, we were safe.

It was so great to spread out on two king-size beds, lean back against a half-dozen pillows, and watch TV.  I took a lovely shower; Kelly had a bubble bath; we purred like a couple sleepy cats.