“There’s a Grand Canyon in my Yard!” - Bites of Kitsap County WA
December 5th, 2007 by Rich JacobsonWell, to say we’ve had some unruly weather of late here on the Kitsap Peninsula WA would be an understatement!
The record-shattering two-day rainfall amount of 12.57 inches was measured at the Bremerton Airport.
We’ve received numerous calls by friends and family wanting to make sure we hadn’t floated away downstream. Fortunately for us, the recent deluge didn’t cause any major problems.
But in other parts of Kitsap County WA, the massive rainfall wreaked havoc on homes and area roadways. Most significant were washouts on Illahee Road (near Varsity), Chico Way, Miami Beach Road, Hite Center Road, Seabeck-Holly Road in Seabeck, and a large sinkhole on Bethel Avenue in Port Orchard.
Central Kitsap Schools were closed yesterday due to the number of road closures. Brownsville Elementary remains closed to students today due to a number of blocked access roads.
Philip Weatherby (one of the Brownsville Elementary staff) and his family went out to view the damage on Illahee Road. His wife, Mary, commented that the washed out road looked like the Grand Canyon!
Our local newspaper, the Kitsap Sun, has provided a very helpful resource map showing all of the road closures in Kitsap and Mason Counties. To access the map, go HERE.
Drive safe out there!
Normally I’d say how much I love the rainy weather and even more so, the snow! But after seeing these bad cases of nature taking it’s toll, I’m not so sure…
I really hope all is well!
Hey, I’d take this over fires kindled by Santa Ana winds and earthquakes any ole’ time!…..We’re doing good, thanks for your concerns….
Hey Sparks - The first year I moved to the Bay Area in 85 (California), it experienced rains like that. I also experienced the big Bay Area earthquake in 89 and the Berkeley Hills fires in 90 and you are right…would rather go through the rain.
It also helps that I don’t mind or rather enjoy the rain.
Hope all is fine for you and your family!
Tony - I’m with you, man! I’ll deal with torrential rain anyday!…But you guys can keep the humidity thing. That’s one thing I don’t miss!
Rich - I with you on the humidity. I’ve had two summers in Georgia and I’m still struggling with it. However, take summer months out and the rest of the season in Georgia are wonderful. That said, my favorite parts of the country are still Colorado (my home state and the part of the country you live.
i just got back from a walk about a quarter of a mile down the washout,i took some pics, then came around a bend and saw a 30 or 40 foot chunk of gard rail wrapped and twisted around a tree. never seen anything like it here..
Sparky, I’ll give you that. Those wild fires definitely wreaked havoc around here! Personally, I prefer:
- The cold weather (I love snowboarding during the winder season; I can’t get enough of it)
- The rain (it’s currently pouring and I wish it stayed like this all the time though I’m sure many Realtors would hate it and it makes my significant other sleepy)
And like you and Tony, I CAN’T STAND the humidity. I spent about 1.5 weeks in Miami and it was great but the darn humidity was killing me!!!
Anyway, I shall look forward to my trip to the mountains this year
We have been monitoring the storm and aftermath from Michigan all week. Agree that the Kitsap Sun has done a fantastic job of keeping the community informed. Our neighbor who lives next to our property south of Hood Point said that besides the road down being pretty trashed (which we expected), everything is basically OK. We were esp. afraid of trees down and the bank sliding away. My cousin is driving up today to inspect. Thanks for posting your pix and your comments. And those crab look great! Who would have thought in November to go crabbing on Hood Canal??
Bruce in Michigan
Amazing photos…I’m glad I found this blog. You guys do a great job.