The Only Bad Thing That Came From Grand Junction’s Recent Rain

If you are like me, you were jumping for joy, possibly even doing cartwheels, when the rain started coming down on Tuesday. Grand Junction has been taking a beating lately with record-setting heat, and as a result, the rain was a dream come true. Unfortunately, it did create one problem.

For the first time in a month, I was able to drive home without losing three pounds due to the heat. In addition, the shrubs and plants in my yard finally received a well-deserved break. The street in front of my house, though, wasn't so fortunate.

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Pardon The Mess

Have you ever stood by and watched as you and your neighbors' yards washed down the street? I live in hills on the outskirts of town. Our neighborhood requires "natural terrain" for our yards. In my opinion, that's fantastic about 99.99999999999% of the time.

Tuesday's rain was heavy enough to take our yards on a little getaway. It even took my trashcan for a field trip.

Never Witnessed This Before

I've lived in Orchard Mesa since 1983, and in that time, have seen a number of good rainfalls. There have been a few comparable to what we experienced Tuesday. A handful have been worse. Never before, though, has a rain carried away our yards.

It's hard to tell, but that is a paved street and gutter you're looking at. I didn't measure, but at a glance, it would be safe to say there is roughly four inches of much covering the street.

Not The End Of The World

Obviously, this is nothing compared to the conditions Nashville experienced years ago during their flood. A friend of mine lives along the Duck River west of Nashville, and he and his entire town had to be airlifted to safety.

Not a Tragedy, Just Weird

I was still in town at the studio, pretending to work, when the rain hit. I have no idea how heavy the rain fell in the Orchard Mesa area. Between the hard earth and the rapid rate of rainfall, it really did a number.

Grateful For The Rain

I have a shovel. When properly motivated, I've even been known to fire up a wheel barrel. The mud situation will soon be resolved. While I'm slowly gaining ground, literally, there will be residual "cleanup" work to be performed. I've put in a request to get a street sweeper for the final detailing.

Even with MudFest 2021 occupying the street in my neighborhood, the rain was a blessing. While the National Weather Service isn't suggesting more rain will appear anytime soon, another heavy rain would be nice. Perhaps the same volume of rain distributed over a slightly longer time period.