Barn find.... today

Its about this time when one becomes very thankful that there is a roll bar over us and we are strapped in tight... errr... some of us were. I asked Gary "what do you suspect the Ferrari community would think if I happened to end up using our Nations premier parts expert for roll bar padding on this descent"? Gravity working against the Jeep going uphill proved a stabilizing force, one that protected the stupid and wouldn't allow some maneuvers to be performed. The ruling body in control of the laws of nature changed their minds when the Jeep headed down hill!

The folks walking around outside the Elementary School looked like the cast of a disaster movie, there was a strange silence and no one was walking to get somewhere, but instead just to burn nervous energy. They had seen what happened to the town, they lived it and were the lucky ones to get out to the evacuation site. After asking a few folks where we might find the Doctor, we were directed inside the school and down the hall. Some school support staff's office had become the Triage Center where a sole Doctor took care of hundreds of evacuees throughout the entire night, she had not slept in well better than a day. She was just finishing up with the last patient when Brian, Gary and myself arrived.... the words "will it ever end" were easily translated simply by the look on her face when she saw a rag tag, muddy trio of guys form a new line.

"How can I help you guys" she asked. Very tall and slender, strawberry blonde with freckles, she herself an evacuee, was put into service when there were many in need. I handed her Bob's empty bottle of heart meds and told her we needed an Oxygen cylinder or two for an old couple living near us. "Im sorry, this is serious medicine, you will have to bring the folks here so I can see them personally". "Sorry, the drive would surely be the end of both of them", we proceeded to tell the DR how and why we got where we are now. She was the kindest, sweetest soul and went about looking through a huge stack of medicine bottles laid out on a table. A fireman had cleaned out every medicine cabinet, of every house holding high ground. This is how an emergency is handled, any possible solution is explored, a plan made and then executed by someone willing to take a risk.

"Guys, you need to get them out at the first opportunity but if he takes one of these a day and doesn't eat any..... and limits his intake of....." She intently watched as I wrote notes stating exactly what her orders were, those to allow Bob to use 'Jane's' entirely different heart meds... this effort buying us a day or two. She could only spare a minimum amount of the pills in the bottle in case there was another problem she had deal with. Focused and sharp to a razors edge, she sent off a helper to "fetch two Oxygen bottles that were salvaged from the flooded ambulance". "Please promise me you will make an attempt to return these bottles to Longmont Hospital when this is all over... please"! Knowing that the three of us had accomplished the impossible, I sat back in the chair, took a deep breath and assured her she could go to the bank on the promise I made. "Is there anything else I can do for you guys"? There was a moments pause as the three of us looked at one another..."Yes Mama" stated Brian. You could she the poor gal sink in her chair with a 'what's next' expression on her face. "We are running DANGEROUSLY low on Margarita mix and the Scotch bottle is about half way down"

Poor sweet thing...... first were tears streaming down her face from laughter coupled with complete exhaustion, then the inability to even keep her balance in the chair she was in! Brain Keegan has a special way of making this happen to people, she wasn't the first and surely wouldn't be the last "Keegan Victim" before this 'Event' was over!

 

That Miserable Jeep, freezing me into a popsicle in the winter and baking me to medium rare in the summer, Plugzit had told me what it was capable of from his own escapades in the hills of southern CA. I had absolutely no reason to believe what he had told me that evening a few years back when his lovely wife and him shared a memorable evening on our back deck. The tales of 'Boondoggin' a Jeep were intermixed with incredibly well presented lies about racing, all those well seasoned with a good single malt and a few bottles of fine wine.

Everyone knows the first liar at the bar never stands a chance, I immediately improved on his racing tales but was blind sided by Plugzit piling on yet another layer. Evening turned into morning before these two gray hairs finally called a truce and called it a night. All good racing lies are based in part on actual occurrences, I was both surprised and pleased that some of his tales regarding Jeeping, had helped me on our trek into town that day. Years later when thanking him for the tips while in the middle of him helping stud a wall in our new shop, he looked shocked that those tales worked. A Master Racing Liar he is, the look on his face told me most of that part was complete Bullsnot, "I will have to try those Jeep tricks one day". I thought I was a good Racing Liar...... I learned that I was merely a student of the Master Liar, our very own Plugzit.

The return trip over Steamboat Mountain back to our Blue Mountain Valley was much slower and far more cautious, we had a solution to a big problem and there were no caps for the oxygen bottles, thus making those a missile if the valves are broken off. I had a vision of Slim Pickens sitting on the bomb and just burst out laughing. I decided not to explain my vision to Keegan as I would have to listen to his ranting for the next hour or better. Once again heading uphill with Gravity being a calming force, we found that the washout area I picked on our decent.... was the downhill side of rough road that paralleled us just a few yards uphill. "Road" is a term I use loosely, it was a goat trail but one that could be driven at one or two MPH with little fear of falling off the Mountain side. The trip back was slow but uneventful based on the reduction of verbal feedback from the 'back seat'.

Arriving back on the flat ground of our Valley, we headed back towards Bob and Lucy's home on the opposite side of the Valley. Coming up on the mailboxes where I had parked our Dually truck earlier in the day, we were surprised to see a huge crowd of neighbors, I would guess some 200 people all milling around in a nervous manner. "Gary, what do you suspect this is all about"? "I have no idea, pull over so we can see what's up, this might be important". I brought the Jeep to a stop on the outskirts of the crowd quickly finding a familiar face, I asked Peggy what this was all about. "Someone put a sign up at the bridge and again here at the mailboxes, about a meeting at 2 PM... but we dont know who did it but here we are".

A small group gathered around the Jeep and Peggy, "we did" blurted out Keegan from the backseat area of the Jeep, answering Peggy's question. "Well, then your in charge, you best get out and talk with these people so we can calm some nerves here". "Hell Peg, I in charge of a Jeep and sure dont..". I was interrupted before I could get the words out of my mouth and form a good defense. Peggy stands about 5 foot nothing IF she has her Roping Boots on, would be hard pressed to break 100 pounds wet, a mother of 3, wife of our local excavator Merle, cute to the point of dangerous.... and able to kick everyone's butt within ear range. "Get your asses out and lets get on with this". Mom raised me well and taught me not to pick a fight with one you know will wipe the ground with your head, I followed Peg's orders.

"IIIIIm not in charge, I can even get out of this damn Jeep..... Your in charge", spouts Keegan. So started the Blue Mountain emergency flood meetings, held twice a day at 10 and 3 at the mail boxes on Blue Mountain Road. There sat my truck parked on the high ground earlier that day, that which would be used for the next week as a speaking platform for each of the meetings held. I dont like crowds, I am not a speaker and surely fail at proper presentation but in some strange way, Gary, Keegan, John, Dave and myself became the organizing body of a home brewed effort to bring a small sense of "normal" back, in a time of great stress. I stood up in the back of my truck and scanned the crowd and saw the line of cars that were parked what looked like a good half mile on both sides of the road.

Neighbors helping neighbors, we are out in the country where the word "neighbor" has an entirely different meaning than in the city, one person saw our little scribbled sign on the bridge and so started an effort where the word was passed on as each neighbor checked in on the next while we ventured into town on our quest for Bob and Lucy. Every person who could be reached by a road or a path, stood in the middle of our road at the mailboxes, waiting to hear what news we had. In the next 3 minutes a plan was put together on the tailgate of my truck... the best I could do is tell this group the little that we collectively knew at the time from our trip into town and that in the event of it being required, I could get someone to a Doctor. Organized with a simple show of hands, we were able to identify who had advanced medical training, who had extra food, extra hay and grain for the livestock, everything right down to the basics of life... who had extra toilet paper!

Proper signs were made showing where one could find a person who had extra to share. Folks who were prepared and had 5 gallons of fuel to run a generator for days, gave until 5 people had one gallon each, in hopes that it would buy many a little more time until we could get out and supplies could be brought in. Milk for nursing livestock, drinking water for those lacking a well or a generator to run the pumps... everything and anything was shared with no mention of repayment of any kind. Keegan, John, Gary, Dave and myself stood in the back of that truck and watched as it all came together. Only one word works to describe what we witnessed that afternoon, "Inspirational".

 

You guys are kind but.... I wish I could fill the shoes you two suggest. It is real easy to look good when one is surrounded by real life Hero's.

John is one of the highest regarded and most decorated Boulder PD officers on the force, he is one who does it right, a dear friend and lives just across the road from us. Dave is John's direct neighbor, a recently retired Denver Fireman with many decorations and just a plain good man in every respect. Gary lives just up the road a piece... to understand Gary would require a short story of how we met.

Kris and I had recently closed on our land we built our house on, every weekend was spent fencing for horse pastures. Back as a kid I worked on a Ranch where fencing was one of my tasks. Tee posts would require 3 hits with a tee post pounder and they would be sunk some 18" deep in 5 seconds. Our land.... every hole had to be drilled into granite with an 1 1/2" bit on an over grown jack hammer powered by a mobile generator. Five minutes drilling, pick up the drill, move it 20 ft, pick up the generator and do the same, lastly pound a 1 3/4" post into a 1 1/2" hole, this taking 10 minutes of pounding. Holidays were no exception as we needed this task done before our lease ran out on a rental house we lived in while building our own house.

Fourth of July some 10 years ago, pounding posts into granite on a 105* day, a white truck pulls up next to where Kris and I were working. Out jumps a lovely young lady from the passengers side and a mid 40's guy from the drivers side. Stacy jumped straight into the bed of the truck as Gary let down the tail gate, without a word spoken. Out slides a cooler with Gary now directing his gaze at us... "Hey dipshlt, its over 100*, its a Holiday and I suspect you might be thirsty by now. Christy has a ham on the grill and I suspect we can fit in one beer before the dinner bell rings". Both Kris and I joined them for dinner at their house, filthy dirty, sweaty, "We cant" was simply not accepted. Two weekends earlier I got tagged in the right hand by a Rattle Snake while reaching for a loose fence wire laying on the ground, it took all the wind out of me for near a month. Exhausted from the snake's happy juice a short time earlier and filthy to an extreme, to have Gary and his daughter come by and do this type of thing for a couple of strangers.....

These are the folks that joined Keegan and myself that day. Challenges were many but with this type of group working together, we could accomplish most any task faced.

 

To add a visual

Our wood arched bridge where the sign was posted. Over the bridge and beyond is Apple Valley, a wonderful little river side community that was destroyed. Normally around 12-14 ft from the bottom of the bridge to the water, Keegan and I stood on that bridge and watched torn apart houses try to fit under it. Terror came when 500 gallon propane tanks would come tumbling down the raging river, whistling and spraying out propane... and then try to fit under the bridge. That bridge took a pounding but stood strong and later would provide the only escape route.

Heading west to Estes Park was out of the question. This is literally the point where the Rockies go vertical. To the right is our Canyon

Highway 36 into the town of Lyons. Once the highway was gone the waters carved the soft soil out quickly until it hit the granite wall. Our neighbor we lost lived a few hundred yards beyond this point in the road. A well liked high school teacher, he will be missed

About a week after it started, signs still remained at the mail boxes listing available services and supplies
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Lucy was overjoyed to see the two of us return a number of hours later with oxygen cylinders and meds for Bob. Lucy is a woman who is sticking by her man to the very end, then at 90 she is sharp as a tack and is the one who 'runs' the household, weathered as one would expect a ranchers wife of that age to be. Bob is dealing with advanced Alzheimer and will never go down in a nursing home, he will be a Rancher, mending fence and tending to new born Calves from his old tractor, until the day he is called home.... and he isnt going quick or easily, that isnt how this old soldier would go! Brian sat with Lucy and read her my notes about the changes Bob had to make while taking an entirely different heart medication than was prescribed to him. You could tell she was scared but there was a special trust between these two, formed in just a matter of a few minutes time.

Looking over my shoulder and watching Brian deal with and read to Lucy at the kitchen table, while I was changing out oxygen cylinders in Lucy's apparatus... that was an extremely touching site that is burned into my minds eye, I wish I had a photo of that but there simply was no time for such things at this point. Like a young kid reading a story to their parent... Lucy hanging on Brian's every word. These tasks done, we searched their barns and garages for fuel cans that might have any left. We gathered up some 3 gallons of fuel in a variety of cans, some smelling like the fuel tanks of old MG's left in a barn too long... enough left to run a generator on and off for a day or two.

Everything in my mind centered around one day intervals, not knowing when supplies might be available. Stretch "it", what ever it might be, for one, two, three days.... and see what tomorrow will bring. I left Brian with Lucy as it was perfectly clear how much of a calming effect he had on her, while I ran down to our barn to dig out supplies needed to keep the generator we had set up, running for a little while longer. A note pad and pen became the lifeline for many, generator start times were noted so I could make return trips to shut it down after running for an hour. Kris returned with me so she could spend a few minutes with Lucy and make certain there were no other matters needing attention, these two have more of a Daughter / Mother type relationship and Lucy would ask Kris for help if she needed it. Log in my notebook showed "B&L OK till 3 9/11", a comforting thing to look back on! Then came the 'Phrase of the Week'.... "NEXT?", one that would be repeated a great many times in the coming days.

It was at this point where Brian and I agreed that we were going to need help with this and we set off to find John and Dave, bringing them up to Gary's house the team was assembled. I started taking notes on who was too frail to fend for themselves and who was just to...... searching for a polite phrase.... lets just say 'unable to fend for themselves', and would need help. There were a few elderly couple in the first column and a host of others in the second, names were assigned based on who had a closer relationship to those we felt might need help. Evening came quick that day, John and Dave left to try to get their own families needs dealt with before sun down, they had spent the entire day saving our roads.

While we were having our planning meeting, Christy and Kris had been setting up covered seating on their back deck that overlooks the entire valley, complete with tiki torches, "By God, we are going to relax yet today, Brian, help me get the beer and wine and lets enjoy a little part of the evening!" Sitting under deck umbrellas, we watched as the still growing Little Thompson River swallowed up our Fire Dept on the other side of the Valley that was completely cut off. It was a comforting sight to see that no trucks were left in the stalls, someone over there was on their game and had evacuated the trucks and equipment to higher ground... these Country Folks... Damn they are good! With the river now 10 times its normal size, we figured we had lost some of the smaller dams upstream, there is no way they could contain this flow. We watched as 100 ft Lodge Pole pines, stripped bare of any bark or limbs, came down at an alarming speed and acted as battering rams to an old Silo on the original Homestead property, some sticking clean through the cement structure. Well into the second or 5th beer, Gary and Brian started making bets on if it would still be standing at first light.

Brian had only arrived a day or two before this event started. He hails from Fungus Corner OR, he is used to this weather and had long ago grown web feet..... "I thought you said it was sunny here"... "It was until you came!"

 

I decided a pre meeting trek into town was a good idea to see if anything there had changed. While watching the news once I finally got our own generator set up well after dark, we caught little bits about Lyons still being an island with the National Guard now bringing in heavy equipment in an attempt to get into town. It was from this newscast we learned something about the level of destruction we were dealing with. Good thing we didn't try to head up to Estes, everything between here and there was destroyed, including the roads, complete towns were thought to be gone.

Brain was living large today, he took the passengers seat while Gary followed us in his truck with John and Dave following in John's truck. Stopping for a moment to see that the silo was still standing on the old homestead, I was terrified to see the home was torn in half and the old rancher living there was standing in his kitchen, now completely exposed like it was his front deck, waving us down. Fifty feet of raging river separated us and there was zero chance we could do anything for him and his family with the gear we had. No, this would take professionals with the right gear to address their evacuation as his wife was wheel chair bound and his dog was older than dirt. Our trip to town was now with purpose, I know the old Korean War era 6x6 the Lyons FD had was sitting on high ground in town, I had seen it when on the B&L run yesterday. With enough rigging lines and some of the white water trained Search and Rescue guys.... I hoped they were still trapped in town!

That trip up and over Steamboat Mountain was done at break neck speed, that POS Jeep.... I finally found what it was good for, far more nimble than the other big trucks that followed us, more than once it looked like we might have to use the winch for the big trucks as we climbed our goat trail once again. Cresting the top of the mountain in the quarry, what do I see but Corey barreling down the goat trail in the 6x6, soot piling out of the exhaust stacks, he was pushing it Hard while leading a whole line of Search and Rescue vehicles from numerous Counties. Corey had worked for us in our old shop, many reading this have met him personally, he was starting on becoming a Ferrari mechanic when family needs pulled him away for a while. Corey grew up in this Valley, he was the phone call when ever you had a job so ugly you decided it was better to "pay the kid" than do it yourself. There wasn't a big game trail or rabbit hole in the Valley that he didn't know about. He happened to be standing in town when S&R finally made it into Lyons but had no idea where to go or how to get there. No better person to lead a pack not knowing the area, he jumped into the Lyons FD 6x6 and lead the way he had taken on his dirt bike numerous times in his youth.

Corey knew our Jeep, he worked on it at the shop a few times when I refused to touch it. Corey pulled the whole convoy over as we all jumped out so I could give S&R an update. Each need I knew about was told to Corey, only once did S&R interrupt and ask for an address..."Really?! How the hell would I know an address.... it wouldn't be posted on a sign post if I knew it!". Corey had grown up and was now in charge....our little job rat was now a Man who had the knowledge and knew how to get this done. I quickly gave Corey landmarks like the homestead with the silo, the old stage coach homestead, the bend in the river home... in an order of importance as I saw it and the risk levels of getting to each. Corey was scribbling it down as fast as I could talk, there was no time to waste. Turning to who was obviously the lead of the S&R Teams... "Trust this Man, we will get you to each spot and knows every nook and cranny in the Valley". Hand shakes with everyone, Corey climbed into the drivers seat of that beat up old 6x6 looking like the Leader he had become. Never before had I seen a young man in his early 20's stand so proud, now lives depended on his abilities and knowledge...Corey Owned that day!

Finally getting into town, now at less than break neck speed knowing there were folks in our Valley with the skills, tools and knowledge to do what we couldnt, we set out to find the Sheriff and see if we couldn't work out some deals we had thought up yesterday. It was now only a matter of a day or two before there would be access to and from town but the news flash we saw stated "Evacuation ONLY, No return" permitted. Few in our Valley could or would leave, most had livestock that had to be attended to daily and no livestock was going to be permitted to be hauled out on what would sure to be fragile paths constructed hastily by the National Guard that was now on scene. Sergeant Goldberger was located but surrounded by 20 people with 20 different needs. Patiently we waited to speak with him, more than once catching his eye but never pushing our way in, others were always allowed access while we waited... it was a tactic that worked well. After a half hour of town folks pushing past us, Nick finally asked everyone waiting to give him just a minute and he walked over to us with an inquisitive look, first thanking us for our patience and then asking how he could help.

"Nick, we need 4 passes to come and go from Blue Mountain, to supply all the needs of our Valley. We can do this with one convoy of 4 trucks, all together, once a day, and meet all our Valleys needs". "You know I cant do that, this is evacuation ONLY, the Feds who are sure to come, would have my ass!" "You know the evacuee infrastructure cant handle those already evacuated, with four trucks we can keep hundreds out of the shelters and in their homes... they wont leave their animals anyway... come on, you know you can trust us to keep our word". Right then John very discretely showed Nick just the edge of his badge he kept hidden in his pocket, thus cementing a brotherhood Nick knew he could trust on nothing more than a handshake.

As Nick was writing out 4 passes on the back of his business cards, he asked "Have you had any problems with armed people causing problems?" "Naw, goodness NO, not in our Valley, everyone is armed and everyone knows it... most loaded with nothing more than snakeshot no different than any other day of the summer". Nick chuckled figuring there would be problems with the National Guard that was now manning check points on what was becoming a "road" to evacuate our Valley and those beyond. They had orders of one way only... Out. Nick knew they would obey those orders but he also knew we would BS them with some tale to get past the check point. "HEY, how in the Hell did you guys get to town?" "We flew, of course.... hey Nick, can I have one of you business cards... and one for Brian?" We walked away with 4 of Nick's business cards with "round trip pass" noting our truck type and license numbers, written in blue ink... and two blank business cards. Walking away as a group, John chuckled "Nicely played Dave, we will need to find a blue ink pen ...... I saw what you did there!"

 

Arriving back in the Valley about 15 mins late for the meeting, I was pleased to see a series of high line ropes strung from our river bank to the ranchers house that was destroyed, the rescue was successful and all were safe. We could see the line of cars at the mailboxes was about half of the day before but the number of people... I wont even try to estimate but there was a great deal more than yesterday. Everyone was car pooling now to save fuel but there was also a new feeling of being close to your neighbors and getting to know them better on the drive down. Our roads had taken one heck of a beating, just a few MPH was possible on most, washboard was now replaced with numerous 2-3 ft deep washout areas that had to be traversed. Beat up and near impassable by standards from a few weeks ago, Dave and John were credited with saving our road, their names were replaced by others on different roads in our Valley, there was no shortage of hero's.

A new addition to the mail box area, Kris and Christy had set up foldable tables to hold 'extra' of what ever someone had and could share. Folks were now taking inventory of all the essential items they had and if there was more than they needed for a day or two... it was set on the tables for anyone in need. Its hard to imagine but no one was left wanting for anything, there always seemed to be someone with extra and willing to share. Drinking water became the first problem as well pumps required a heavy duty generator to run them and sadly, many of the wells in the area were destroyed by silt deposited in them by small streams near the well heads, ours included. This area is called a "dry valley" where wells are a rarity because of the rock formations below us. There is no aquifer to tap into, just a deep hole where water runs between rock layers and happens to trickle into ones well hole. Most homes have a 3000 gallon cistern where water is stored underground and is hauled in. In our case I had just filled the cistern the day before this all started, having horses, even with our well I have to supplement with hauled water. Strange at first, its just a way of life in a dry valley.

Standing in the back of my truck I asked the crowd of people if anyone had an abundance of drinking water they could share. One hand in the back was raised and I asked where and how folks could get to him. Out in his pasture there was a rock out cropping that had a constant stream of water coming out year around. Years back the rancher had drilled into the rock and set a pipe so the water could be used to overfill a stock tank for the cattle. As luck would have it, he had just had a water test done just out of curiosity and the results showed it to be exceptional. Access to it had to be by foot as the terrain was impassable by anything but a 4wd tractor, he was more than happy to allow anyone access as long as the fence gate was shut behind them to keep the cattle in. A lone voice in the back of the crowd asked if it was alright if a road was built to the water source. "I would be delighted, I always wanted to do that but could never find the budget to do it". Barry is our local excavator, he could scratch your back from 30 feet away with the bucket on his track hoe, folks would just stop and stare watching Barry work on a project...... a manicured road was donated and built by days end and the water needs met.

I asked if I could have everyones attention so I could tell them about our "deal" we made with Nick and the passes. After explaining the whole promise we had made, I asked that no one attempts to do an out and back, only the 4 trucks that had passes, "lets show them what our promise means". "Tomorrow everyone bring a gas can to the meeting and if the road is open, I will get them all filled. I also need to make a list of what anyone needs in town, we will do what ever we can to make sure everyones needs are met, hopefully the passes work and we will get back". There were a whole lot of people and 4 of us to get this job done. The plan looked good on paper but it was anyones guess if it would work as planned, tomorrow we would know if the National Guard Engineers were able to cut in a new road to us.

Every meeting, every day to date, it was raining the whole time with a cloud layer just a hundred feet above us... would it ever end?! Each day my Duster coat would get dirtier, my straw cowboy hat filthier, no one noticed, we all looked like something the cat drug in.

 

Thank You for the kind words. There were so many hero's, ones that would be greatly disappointed with me for labeling them with that title if they knew I had. Myself, I am only a minor part in what I feel was an incredible situation we found ourselves in. I felt if I was to tell this story, folks should get to know who these fine these people are. I am not a writer by any measure, I just do my best while feeling compelled to share what I felt was a once in a lifetime event. As long as someone enjoys reading it, I will continue to share. In time I will get back to Joe and the 330, I am just taking it in the order it all happened.

Had it not involved the devastation of the loss of life of a neighbor, the mood would have been that of a Barn Dance. Only those that have experienced first hand a country Barn Dance would understand the mood and experience. Social standing, one's wealth, their cloths, how well one is able to dance.... everything and anything is all of a sudden on equal footing. The moment you pull into the barn yard...everything becomes equal and the frustrations of the day evaporate.

As I tell what we really experienced in those days, I find myself hoping that if only in a minor way, it has the same effect on others, as it did on me. These days when I am faced with a terribly difficult situation, I deal with it differently. Niki has been at the shop and witnessed some of these... "Who are you and what have you done with my Dad, he would have busted a vein by now?"

 

I asked for fuel jugs from those that need to keep a generator running... and fuel jugs we got! Name tags, magic markers, stickers, there was no end to how they were identified, there had to be 100 of them in every shape and size imaginable, enough to fill the beds of two pickups. This is when we ran into the first of many unexpected problems, collection of money to pay for the fuel, how to identify who paid what, how much change they had coming, and who would note all of this. Standing in the bed of the pickup I had to think a minute, this instantly became overwhelming and needed an answer quickly. Who was the best of this whole group with numbers... who could remember any number..... Oh Hell, the answer sat right in front of me, Keegan could tell you the part number of a steering shaft ujoint for a C4 from memory, and that without hesitation! "Keegan, got a job for ya, grab a note pad and pen from the truck .....". My first shock is how polite and orderly folks were while waiting to talk with Keegan, it gave me cause to smile even when faced with what would normally seem overwhelming.

Then came the next unexpected and unplanned for event, one that would tug at my heart strings and require me to step away and take a quite moment alone. I have seen her a hundred times, we have exchanged waves while passing one another going opposite directions on the road, I have even engaged in a short conversation at the gas pumps in town but we have never officially met and didn't know one another's names. We live in a time of credit cards, on the rare occasion when Kris gives me cash, I hide it away in my wallet and feel like a high roller, a C Note hidden in my wallet has me strutting around like a Rooster! Surely there would be many in the same situation, folks dont plan for this type of event, there would be many caught short with little cash on hand. Walking past the drivers door of my truck, there sat a slice of Blue Berry pie on a paper plate sitting on the front seat, along with a note about being caught short on cash but with a promise to pay me back as soon as she could get to the bank, and a bag of loose change in a zip lock bag. Too proud a person to ask for a hand face to face, instead she did it the best way she knew how.

I am not the least bit embarrassed to say my lip started quivering as I read that note and looked at the slice of pie, no different than now as I write about it, I needed a few minutes alone to absorb and deal with this. "Keegan, give me a minute, I need to talk with you. Folks, wait right where you are I will bring him back in just a moment". I walked Keegan over to the front of the truck and just pointed at what I had found, without saying a word. Two grown men just stood there with a blank look an watery eyes, completely overwhelmed by the kindness a slice of pie signifies, and all of a sudden realizing the gravity of the situation we have found ourselves in. "Brian, many of these folks would go without before they would ask for a hand out or put anyone else in a bind". I am here to tell you that a single slice of Blue Berry pie on a paper plate, the simplest little way to show kindness, given the situation we found ourselves in, was a life changing gesture I will take to my grave. "Dave, some of the folks have cash, some are coming with bags of change just like this... we need to figure out a solution".

After regaining a bit of my composure I jumped back in the bed of the truck and yelled out to get everyones attention. "I had not thought this out regarding cash on hand... I myself dont have cash, my apologies for not thinking this through better". I then announced that I would put all the supplies and fuel on my credit card and rather than us keeping track of so many purchases, each person just keep track of what they themselves owed as the days go by. "When this is all over we can then resolve the accounting and everything will be fine. Please dont hesitate to ask for something if you have a need, from my racing days I abused a credit card to the point there is a 6 figure credit limit... we can mess that card up again without hesitation". Again a lone voice in the back of the crowd shouts, "Party at Dave's house"! A Roar of laughter eliminated the obvious tension I was completely oblivious to.

Damn, what a dipshlt, the solution was obvious and caused no pain, these were neighbors, proud people who would trip over themselves making sure matters were resolved. I found myself terribly embarrassed I had created tension by not thinking things through properly. Once again I found cause to define "Neighbor", here the word has nothing to do with a physical location, instead its a definition of a way of life where one is privately and quietly making sure those around them are OK. From what I was privileged and honored to be allowed to watch so far..... immediate needs would only pose challenges, not problems, and only temporary ones at that!
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Brain and myself in my truck, John, Dave and Gary in their trucks, we made our way through the little community of Apple Valley on the way to Lyons. What we saw in Apple Valley alone is enough to change a person, destruction on an epic level. One house would be literally torn in half while the one next to it untouched, all dependent on the placement of a boulder in the streambed. The forces this water brought into this little community were awe inspiring and terrifying. Once again, as we witnessed in our own valley, lodge pole pines that were stripped bare, caused damage one could not have predicted, what the water alone did paled to what the water borne battering rams did. The Boy Scout Camp was.... it was just gone, our church still standing but a whole wall left dangling, again only left partially intact by what once was a swimming pool foundation, long ago filled in, just up stream of the foundation from the days it was a lodge, just after it was a Strip Club... talk about getting some mileage from a building! The garage housing a beautiful MGTC, 2 Norton Commando's, a Royal Enfield Interceptor and a host of old Japanese scramblers, was intact but the house next to it, that would be condemned along with the plastic 328 body going on a Pontiac frame. The Vintage truck collection......... what once was a pride and joy is now rubble strewn across the next mile or so down stream

That slice of pie was sitting proud on the dashboard, no bobble head Hula Girl could ever look so fine. "You are just going to leave that pie sitting there arent ya?" "Yup... looks mighty fine doesn't it" "Not even going to open it and just take a smell?" "Nope, I know what it smells like, I just thought you would want to look at it for a while...." Kris had our shelves stocked fairly well, we surely were not going hungry after just a day or two BUT... there was no Blue Berry pie sitting on the island counter at home.... but there damn sure was on the dashboard and right in Brian's line of sight looking out the windshield. Even at the risk of it going bad, that pie would stand proud for as long as humanly possible.... just cause.

We arrived at the first National Guard Check Point and being the lead truck I jumped out to talk to the Soldier. I figured that a personal contact had to be made to advise his we would be coming back. "Im sorry Sir, I was only ordered to allow folks out with no return and I have not heard of any exceptions to that order". "No I suspect you would not have, this is a very secret affair as the Sergeant did not want a host of folks thinking they could do this. This convoy will supply a whole valley and keep them out of the emergency shelters that are already overwhelmed. "This is supposed to be a hush situation and I would appreciate it if you would keep it that way" "Yes Sir, I will do just that" "Can we get you anything in town... anything at all? "No Sir, we are well stocked and the coffee is just finished now". Jumping back in the truck... "Hey, that secret thing worked... we will have to keep with that plan for as long as it works!" Orders are orders, even when the lead Law Enforcement of the area gives a pass, one enforcement entity is not connected to the next but their was a strong spirit of cooperation that over shadowed orders.

Only one lane of the bridge next to Planet Bluegrass was still remaining, enough to get through, obviously the Guard Engineers had inspected it and deemed it safe for light vehicle traffic... no wonder they were not allowing livestock out, that bridge wouldn't hold that type of traffic. Planet Bluegrass was.... more was gone than left. We had seen this same thing with homes in our Valley. One insures their home and the smart ones put a flood insurance umbrella on top of home owners insurance. What is never considered, the land the home is built on. The insurance companies consider that will always remain intact... they havent seen what we had! The house is gone, foundation is gone... the land it was all built on... gone! Its difficult for me to comprehend... gone is gone... some farmer out in the plains just picked up a few hundred acres, because it sure isnt here anymore!

George's Vintage Motors is still intact and unharmed, along with the Crosley Hot Shot I have been eyeing for months. "Brian, make a note to call George when we get in cell range, he will be happy with this news!" The grocery store took the full force of the river when it decided it no longer wanted to turn a corner, instead going straight in the front doors. The Distillery was intact but would have some serious cleaning to do, the vats and the barrels should be intact. The hardware store, gas station, rock quarry headquarters, everything else.... gone, along with one lane of the road through town and all of the trees that were now snapped off at about 6 ft high. It now became obvious why we were without power and phones, there were no poles left for 10's of miles, everything was gone like a D-12 had just set a path and eliminated everything in its way. The next check point was manned by Boulder County Sheriff, Janette... that one was a push over, she brings all the new recruits to our shop and advises them they are welcome here, "this is where you come when you need a quite time", a policy I have had since we opened, Sheriff's Office patrols and Boulder City PD, all are welcome at our shop, the rest of the businesses thought we were hardened criminals based on how many squads were in our parking lot! Janette was a cute blonde with a bubbly personality, and a good friend who took her orders from Nick, she recognized his signature.... a Bad thing for us as we are no going to have to practice that to make a good forgery!

The rest of the trip through town was... it was just terrible. The 3 bearing powder blue MGB was 4/5 covered in mud, I had been eyeing that for years now, at least when ever Kris was not looking. Her concern about wandering eyes is only related to subjects with foul smelling fuel tanks. The 40 Ford Coupe... it might survive but the Hotel, that was missing. The entire trip through town was heart breaking with a light hearted moment when we came across a sign hanging on the Distillery... "LYONS CO, We Got Grit!"

"You are just going to leave that fine looking Blue Berry Pie just sitting there on the dashboard, arent ya, not even going to take a sniff?" "Looks pretty good sitting there, doesn't it?"

 

First stop was the Walgreens in Longmont to attempt a pick up of some 7-8 prescriptions. Thankfully, this Walgreens was the spot that most everyone in the area uses and I didn't have to head to Boulder ... literally most of the bridges and roads between here and there were damaged to the point of impassable.

Standing in line with a Duster coat and straw Cowboy hat that had now taken on their own personality and life, 'where did this dirt ball come from', was the question written on must everyone's face in line. I told the young gal in the pharmacy that I was here for Karen, Steve..... I read down the list.... prescriptions. "Sir, I cant do that, that is against our policy and the law". "Yes Ma'am, I have heard that a number of times in the last day or two, might we find a way around rules and allow me to get this done? I think if you look at all of these folks addresses you will notice they are all in the Blue Mountain area, the one cut off from everything". I proceeded to tell the gal the story behind us being here and showed her my pass from Nick.

A few minutes later the Head Pharmacist came out to the front counter and requested to hear the whole story from the start, as most everyone in line in front and behind also listened in. I told him that I would be happy to put it all on my credit card and could work out the details later. At this point my main concern is simply to make sure these folks remain healthy until they are allowed out and back on their own. "How might we be able to accomplish this, I will bear any costs involved", I asked. "Well, let me thank you for these efforts. I will wave all the co pays and insurance paperwork if you would ask that the folks come in once the dust settles, and we can deal with that then". Sir, that is kind beyond words, I will make sure Everyone knows what you are doing for the community. What we are doing now, its just a team effort of many, an attempt to keep these folks out of the evacuation shelters and in their homes... and you know, it looks like it just might work!"

I walked out the door of Walgreens with a smile, I had just witnessed someone willing to take a risk to help others, one that as I am told, was paid back many times over in the following months. My next heart warming moment came a few seconds later... Keegan with an arm load of bottles from the liquor store.... a precious sight to be sure! Next stop, King Soopers gas station, one that is sure to put a dent in the credit card with both John's and my own trucks filled with empty fuel jugs! Every $100 the pump shuts off and the credit card had to be run again. Cans ranging from one gallon to 10 gallons and everything between. Some with caps, some without, why we had a bag of rubber bands in the truck is beyond me but I kept filling while Keegan did some dumpster diving for plastic sheeting to be rubber banded in place, acting as a gas cap for those missing one.

Just as I was running the credit time for the second time the attendant came out and simply asked "Lyons?" "Yes, we have a chore ahead of us!" He smiled and told me a gentleman that was filling his truck next to ours, knew our truck and was positive about what this effort was for.

"There is $100 credit on the pump next to you, compliments of that gentleman, with Best Wishes for everyone affected by this". I looked around for the truck but alas, he wanted it to be an anonymous donation, he was already gone before I had a chance to Thank Him for his kindness. I saw more than one tear of joy at the meeting held upon our return, after telling of these kind gestures, I myself choking up on more than one occasion while telling my neighbors of this.