ST AUGUSTINE, FL  Safely home after a harrowing experience.  And things got even crazier after getting home, but more on that later.

On September 25th, we drove from Down by the River Campground up to Boone for a tour of Samaritans Purse.  We had tried in two prior years to get a tour, but unforeseen events prevented it.  Thus we drove to Boone with no idea how the following hours would turn out.

The tour began with a talk in a conference room by the tour director.  Photos on the walls were referenced, and books by Franklin Graham were discussed, with the director giving each of us one of the books for free.

Automated Photo Name Tags Provided

Then we left that building to walk over to the Christmas Child boxing building.  The tour consists mostly of this.  There is no tour of the very many other buildings over the well maintained grounds.

We Depart Welcome Building for Christmas Child Building

Off to the Christmas Child Building

Rainy Crossing Over to Other Side of Properties

Entrance to Christmas Child Building

On the walls were many more large photos that help tell the story of the Christmas box preparation and delivery.    

Closeup of Some Wall Photos

Extra Large Christmas Box Suspended from Ceiling

Proceeding to Back Section

Messages from Ukrainian Children

Wall Photos of Delivery Methods Used for Christmas Boxes

Closeup of Some Delivery Methods

Another Delivery Method

Pictorial Used to Explain the Gospel to Child Recipients

Gospel Presentations Given to Children

Entry View to Packing Room

At this point we entered the packing room area for a detailed explanation of how every kind of gift is included in boxes to be sent to the children around the world.

When we drove back to our motorhome, parked in site 62 of the Down by the River Campground, we noticed someone in a very long 5th wheel trailer preparing to move out of the campground.  It was around 5:30 pm, rather late to be leaving for another location.  This was our first implication that something was afoot that most of us did not understand.  Before we had left for Boone, the campground owner had told us to unhook from water and sewer.  Only the power remained attached.

At 1:05 am the following morning, the campground owner's father came knocking on our door demanding we evacuate.  He meant for us to leave our motorhome where is was and leave in our Jeep for a high school gym that the fire department had designated as the local evacuation center.

We did not want to leave our motorhome there, so I hurriedly unhooked the power cord while Betty prepared inside to bring in the slides.  Within 15 minutes I was driving the motorhome out of the campground through inches-deep water.  Betty followed in the Jeep.  After looking around the area for a high place to park for the night, we settled on the parking lot of a nearby drug store.  

View Behind the Pharmacy Parking Lot

The next day we called the campground where we had stayed in earlier months, The Pineola Campground, and they gave us a site that was high enough to escape the rising water.  However, a little after noon the next day, on the 27th, the owner of this campground knocked on our door telling us to come with him as he would take us to the second floor of the hotel out front.  We hastily filled a couple handbags with stuff and headed out in his Jeep Wrangler, which rides higher than our Cherokee.

View from Our Motorhome

View in Direction We Were Taken to Hotel

The following videos were taken from the second floor balcony of the Pineola Hotel.

A few minutes later you could watch the waters starting to recede.  After a few hours, it had receded enough for me to walk back to our motorhome to get the Jeep to bring Betty back.  The following video was taken of the view of the campground from our site then.

The following video was taken from ground level near our campsite the following day.

Panorama Shot of Area Near Our Site the Following Day

Our motorhome was spared high water and its related damage.

White Line Shows the High Water Level at Our Motorhome

View Back Toward Section Where We Had Parked in July

If you look back in this blog at the July 24 entry, you will see what this area looked like before the flood.  After the flood, look at the scene below: 

We Were Camped at the Pavilion Site on the Far Left

Here Is a Closer Look

Our Neighbors at Far Right Sites

What's Left of Beautiful White Hydrangea Blossoms

Main Entry Road to Campground

Long View of Entry Road After Repair Work Is Started

Power, water, sewer, wifi, and cell service were all gone.  Someone told us to visit the local hospital to mooch off their wifi.  We got there and saw a horde of people doing exactly that, so we joined the horde.  We called as many people as we could fit in.  The next day the entry road to the hospital was sealed off by the police.

The Horde of Moochers at the Hospital

There was no church service on Sunday since the church building was flooded.  The following day we drove up to Boone to do some last minute shopping at their Publix to set us up for the drive back home on October 1st.  The usual route was closed due to flooding, so we took the only remaining road that was recommended by the police, US 221.  It was a horrible drive, so many twists and turns that you wondered if you might end up where you started.  Added to that was the crumbling road surface in places.

Example of Road Edge at Bridge Crumbling Out

A Closer View of Crumbling Ground

We finally made it to Boone, did our shopping, then headed back home.  Rt 105 was open heading south, so we started down that path.  Then it stopped at its intersection with Rt 184 through Banner Elk and Elk Park, eventually leading into Newland from the west.  Once again we were shocked by the condition of the roads (and all the property left and right of it).  One road's giant culvert was washed out from below it and broken in half.  Very little was holding up the road as we drove over.  As we headed through Elk Park, there were many lines of traffic to make way for fallen power lines and the linemen who were working to fix them.  We also saw churches and houses whose foundations had been washed out from under them.

Example of Building with Foundation Washed Out

After Many Stoppages, We Made Our Way Through Newland

Once back at the campground, we gave thanks to God for safe delivery back and prepared to leave town the next day.

 

The next day we had to take Rt 181 south out of Pineola, since US 221 south was closed due to a huge landslide over the road.  Rt 181 was another roller coaster ride.  Very tiresome, especially after all we had been through already, but we made it to I-40 leading eventually to US 221 south below the landslide area.  This led us on to Kinards, SC where we had a reservation with a KOA.  They had water but no power, wifi, or cell service, so we ran our generator all night, so there was no problem.  The next day to a KOA in Savannah, then on home.

As mentioned at the beginning of this blog section, things then got crazy at home.  Hurricane Milton (yes, another hurricane) passed through Florida from near Tampa to just south of Daytona Beach.  Huge damage on the west coast from ocean swells and on the east coast from dozens of tornados spawn by the storm.  Possibly worst hurricane ever.

We were fortunate in that our home was spared any significant damage, but the following Sunday after church we drove up I-95 to see my sister in the hospital.  During this drive, we were in a traffic accident that totaled my beloved Honda Pilot, caused me minor injury, but bruised Betty badly.  We thus had to cancel our European travel for the Viking Cruise.  Another jolt, but it could have been far worse.  Thus, where in prior entries in this blog I say to stay tuned for blog entries on the river cruise, there will be none this year.  It has been quite a summer and early fall.