Hwy 34 To Estes Park

1mtnman wrote:

Sorry if this offends you but it seems that some posters sit behind their computers and wait for a posting that they might be able to partially "shoot down" or cause questioning.

Amen to that!!

I wasn't trying to show anyone or anything down! Forgive me for intruding in your discussion.

I just tossed out statements that were made and probably had little or no real verification. I guess I should have said that.

Whether is it a 100 or 500 or 1000 year flood is really speculation and hardly could be documented in my mind.

I think that people - and I heard it said this way - said that it was anywhere from 2 to 5 times worse than the Big Thompson Flood. As far as damage within the boundaries of Estes it would certainly appear to be that way.

Long story short - it was devastating, life changing for many people, left people homeless, many people lost everything, some may not get back to their homes for a long time and may never live in them again, others lost theirs, the town merchants will suffer pretty badly, etc.

So what difference is it as to 100, 500 or 1000 - it is a severe tragedy to Estes and all the surrounding area.

Period.

paulj wrote:
Be wary of reading too much into labels like '100 year flood', '500 year flood'. While hydrologists have a well define method of calculating these numbers, our intuitions can be misleading.

http wrote:
While unlikely, it is possible to have two 100 or even 500 year floods within years or months of each other.

I really fail to understand the importance of what you say or quote regarding 100 or 500 year floods. The reason I posted what I did was to inform and not to have someone cast doubts regarding what I posted.

I had met Lauren on a previous occasion and knew that he and his wife had resided in Estes Park in the past and that they do in fact return to visit the area.
Sorry if this offends you but it seems that some posters sit behind their computers and wait for a posting that they might be able to partially "shoot down" or cause questioning.
Don't forget to have a good day and just enjoy viewing the many posting that might interest you. They are free and are just the OP's opinion.

Be wary of reading too much into labels like '100 year flood', '500 year flood'. While hydrologists have a well define method of calculating these numbers, our intuitions can be misleading.

http wrote:
While unlikely, it is possible to have two 100 or even 500 year floods within years or months of each other.

Always good to hear from first hand experience of more than one person. I guess it - like so many other roads and road conditions - depends upon the driver's comfort level.

I am told by Estes residents that many of the people along the Big Thompson Canyon could not get flood insurance.

And that this was a 500 year flood; many times worse than the previous one. Let's see, the first one was called the Big Thompson Flood. Wonder what they will call this.

It was a sparkling Colorado day today so took a run up Hwy 34 from Loveland to Estes Park and back. First of all the road is fine and would be no problem for any type of RV. The road construction personnel have done a remarkable job on this Hwy replacement. It is almost unbelievable how quickly they were able to replace up to 70-80% of this highway in such a short period of time.
At times it is difficult to get your immediate surrounding bearings as much has changed regarding previous landmarks. Many are completely gone or relocated. Many of the cottages and homes along the river are condemned and have no property to rebuild on if they could. The river has changed courses and the flood waters have scoured everything in the river bottom including most all of the trees near the river.
Today is the big Christmas Parade in Estes Park and there were throngs of people. Parking places were at a premium and we were there about noon.
Makes me wonder once again why they would allow anyone to rebuild again in such a location.

1mtnman wrote:
... It really is too bad that the canyon can't return to a natural state without any structures. Sure would be a great scenic route. ...

Scenic route - by raft or RV? :)

I was amazed at the audacity of the canyon stretch where the highway takes up half of the river bed - using retaining walls and backfill.

Hwy 7 out of Lyons is now open although it is also a temporary road base. I think Lyons will be fine in a few years. Don't know how Drake and some of the communities in the Big Thompson Canyon will fare. It really is too bad that the canyon can't return to a natural state without any structures. Sure would be a great scenic route. Especially being that it is just a matter of time until a disaster happens again. We have had 2 one hundred year floods in the last less than 40 years.