Posted by Kane Engelbert on September 13, 2013 at 10:05 PM
I'm heart broken. Words cannot describe how I feel for the people and the land affected by these epic water levels. I thought it would be bad, but now as the aerial images are coming through, I'm blown away.
There is basically zero access into Estes Park. I'm just now beginning to understand it may be months (if not longer) before I can get back to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Posted by Morris McClung on September 13, 2013 at 10:20 PM
Erik posted on his Facebook Photography page that he and his family are safe, and his gallery has been spared so far.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on September 13, 2013 at 11:19 PM
I've posted more videos and photos from the media on my Facebook Page.
I live in Loveland but commute via Highway 34 up to Estes Park almost every day so seeing the destruction that is occurring there and in so many places along the Front Range and plains is shocking. It's going to be a very long few weeks/months while this gets cleaned up.
Posted by Bob Falcone on September 14, 2013 at 12:53 AM
Glad to hear Eriks family and gallery are safe. The flooding has been overwhelming, with rainfall amounts of incredible proportions.
I have plans & reservations to be in Estes Park/RMNP in about 2 weeks. I hope that I'll be able to make the trip, not only for my own pleasure, but so that the businesses and residents can be on the road (however long) to recovery.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on September 14, 2013 at 11:17 AM
So glad to hear Erik & family are safe.
It's hard to comprehend the extent of damage throughout the Front Range !
Posted by Kane Engelbert on September 14, 2013 at 9:13 PM
It appears I-70 to hwy 119, to 72, to 7 to Estes, is our first option to making Estes Park. Trail Ridge Pass is the second option.
Posted by Kane Engelbert on September 15, 2013 at 10:03 AM
This quote from an old friend over on 14ers.com pretty much sums up what's currently going on up there in Estes Park.
Kiefer
They'll keep TRR open only for as long as the weather allows. The supply trucks are using hwy. 7 instead. Safeway had 3 small trucks deliver supples earlier today and we had a Sysco truck made a few rounds. Fuel however we are still waiting on.
This is going to hurt Estes profoundly. Not having tourists up here spending money to listen & see the elk or the leaves changing....it's going to change the town.
Walking around this morning down on the riverwalk, you wouldn't believe the mud and detritus that's piled up in the bushes, in the fountains...
But what really hurt, was earlier, I was talking & trying to coordinate with the Salvation Army for the evacuees for tomorrow morning in my conference center, and talking to one of the volunteers, a peditrician whom
I took a WFR course with, mentioned 'the old couple' in there (ballroom) lost their entire house and both cars. I kind of lost it earlier tonight here in the back office thinking of that old couple and the devestation I had seen earlier.
Tragedies come & go. Devastation happens, people are resiliant and always bounce back. But I have to tell you. Seeing this stuff on the television will NEVER prepare you for seeing it person and realizing the absolute grief and loss awaiting those who are affected by it. I don't think I'll ever get that image of that old couple sitting at the table sipping lemonade out of my head.
I'm sitting here typing this, drinking a beer, knowing I have a warm bed tonight....and I almost feel ashamed for it.
Things will get better of course but things will also be fundementally changed. Seasonal towns like Estes Park need the revenue that fall colours, fly fishing and bugeling elk bring. Moments like I had earlier, need to be shared with others to keep them coming to the mountains to experience [hopefully] the same.
Because I will say one thing...hate, jealously, anger, pride eventually die off. But good will, tidings, altruism and kindness have a tendency to perpetuate, far longer than any ill will.
I have 8 rooms rented out right now for CDOT employees (I was drinking with three of them earlier). I hope they get hwy 7 in better shape to allow people to come here and hopefully, get hwy. 36 open ahead of schedule. Hwy 34 is completely lost. Don't expect that to open till next year.
But even a small amount of fall revenue will help. Especially when there are so many small business owners up here dependent on that seasonal influx of money. Winters up here, as many of us know, are pretty quiet & dead.
Sun Sep 15, 2013 12:43 am
Posted by Erik Stensland on September 15, 2013 at 3:40 PM
He everyone, thanks for all of your concern. I just got back online today. Century Link had lost 5 miles of cable and they managed to rig something up in the night. It's great to be back in touch with the world.
Generally, Estes Park fared fairly well when compared with the surrounding areas of Glenhaven, Drake, Lyons, etc. Most services are back online throughout town and we have access to the outside to the outside world via Trail Ridge Road and somewhat through hwy 7 down to I-70. We have a couple of sections of town that are cut off and are being evacuated as well as compromised roads throughout town. There is a fair amount of mess to clean up including downtown, but to our knowledge no one in the Estes Valley has been injured during this event. As Kane's friend said, the real challenge for many in this community is that we are very dependent upon these next four weeks for a very large portion of our total yearly income. It is going to make for a challenging winter financially for all those dependent upon tourism. It may also significantly impact next year as well. Regardless, most people up here are upbeat and working together to get through this. Thanks for thinking of us!
For those who are interested, my gallery survived without any damage and our house came through this with only a few leaks in the roof and basement, which is much better than many throughout town. I'm helping out with cleanup operations and now that I have Internet access I can start doing a bit of work too. Currently, Rocky Mountain National Park is closed and could be for a number of weeks, so no photography options for a while. I'm keeping the gallery closed until the Park opens and tourists return. Unfortunately, I was too busy sandbagging downtown that I didn't take many photos at all during the crisis. I guess it's not really my genre. Anyway, thanks for the concern. I continue to think of our many friends in Longmont, Boulder and other areas that have been hit by this.
Posted by Stan Rose on September 15, 2013 at 4:36 PM
Posted by Paul Martin on September 16, 2013 at 3:56 AM
Glad to hear that you came out relatively unscathed, Erik. Up until July I had spent basically my entire life in Colorado and spent so much time in the areas between Boulder and Ft.Collins that it was like my backyard. Its heartbreaking, especially being 1300 miles away and not able to do anything. But, in the end I know the people of CO are strong and will persevere and rebuild our great state.
Posted by Ryan Wright on September 16, 2013 at 12:09 PM
I saw your post on Facebook Erik, and I'm glad to hear you and your family is safe.
I normally complain about my third floor apartment but now it seems like that is a luxury. I took off from work Thursday and Friday and quite literally went door to door to help neighbors rip out carpet from flooded basements. A good friend of mine and fellow photographer had his whole apartment flooded, but only minimal loss. A couple who are two of my closest friends in Boulder got rescued, and then his wife went into labor. They were interviewed on NBC's Nightly News on Friday, but their house sustained severe damage.
The biggest encouragement around here is that neighbors are helping neighbors, people are going out into the community to serve those affected. Boulder had it relatively easy compared to Jamestown, Estes, Longmont, and a lot of Weld county. It's definitely going to take a lot of time.
Posted by Amy Lindsey on September 16, 2013 at 9:25 PM
I know I'm far away from all of you and the devastation, but there is so much talent in this group, what about doing a fundraiser? I don't have any solid ideas other than possibly auctioning off artwork or workshop space. Not even sure how it would be coordinated, but maybe we can just do something to help.
EDIT: A thought came to me after I posted this. What if we turned the fall color contest into a fundraiser? Optional donation of $25/image to benefit the residents of Estes and other areas. Maybe we could even get the other forums to do something similar. Just a thought.
Posted by Anne K. Rusk on September 17, 2013 at 9:33 PM
Amy, I think that sounds like a great idea! I am wondering if we can work with Erik to link up with a way to benefit Estes directly? That way we can expand it to a fund that people can donate to on all social platforms and get maximum reach. Maybe a NPN discussion post or a weekly challenge of post favorite fall color or CO pic and donate to the fund? Thoughts?
Posted by Erik Stensland on September 18, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Amy, I think that is a great idea but I'm wondering if it might not be better to use it for the folks in Lyons or Glenhaven as they were hit the hardest. There are several funds available that are working to provide assistance for those hardest hit in these areas. I'd be happy to get some additional information if that is of interest to everyone here.
Posted by Amy Lindsey on September 18, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Could someone get the mods and Jim Erhardt involved? What other ideas does anyone have?
Discussion
14 repliesThere is basically zero access into Estes Park. I'm just now beginning to understand it may be months (if not longer) before I can get back to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Anyone hear from Erik Stensland?
Post your images, or any updated road info here.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1231678_687030507991880_172782541_n.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QAPGktz.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg9FDlfX2rA&list=TLWW3tAMDkGUg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MR5kwNjzC9Q
I live in Loveland but commute via Highway 34 up to Estes Park almost every day so seeing the destruction that is occurring there and in so many places along the Front Range and plains is shocking. It's going to be a very long few weeks/months while this gets cleaned up.
I have plans & reservations to be in Estes Park/RMNP in about 2 weeks. I hope that I'll be able to make the trip, not only for my own pleasure, but so that the businesses and residents can be on the road (however long) to recovery.
It's hard to comprehend the extent of damage throughout the Front Range !
Kiefer
They'll keep TRR open only for as long as the weather allows. The supply trucks are using hwy. 7 instead. Safeway had 3 small trucks deliver supples earlier today and we had a Sysco truck made a few rounds. Fuel however we are still waiting on.
This is going to hurt Estes profoundly. Not having tourists up here spending money to listen & see the elk or the leaves changing....it's going to change the town.
Walking around this morning down on the riverwalk, you wouldn't believe the mud and detritus that's piled up in the bushes, in the fountains...
But what really hurt, was earlier, I was talking & trying to coordinate with the Salvation Army for the evacuees for tomorrow morning in my conference center, and talking to one of the volunteers, a peditrician whom
I took a WFR course with, mentioned 'the old couple' in there (ballroom) lost their entire house and both cars. I kind of lost it earlier tonight here in the back office thinking of that old couple and the devestation I had seen earlier.
Tragedies come & go. Devastation happens, people are resiliant and always bounce back. But I have to tell you. Seeing this stuff on the television will NEVER prepare you for seeing it person and realizing the absolute grief and loss awaiting those who are affected by it. I don't think I'll ever get that image of that old couple sitting at the table sipping lemonade out of my head.
I'm sitting here typing this, drinking a beer, knowing I have a warm bed tonight....and I almost feel ashamed for it.
Things will get better of course but things will also be fundementally changed. Seasonal towns like Estes Park need the revenue that fall colours, fly fishing and bugeling elk bring. Moments like I had earlier, need to be shared with others to keep them coming to the mountains to experience [hopefully] the same.
Because I will say one thing...hate, jealously, anger, pride eventually die off. But good will, tidings, altruism and kindness have a tendency to perpetuate, far longer than any ill will.
I have 8 rooms rented out right now for CDOT employees (I was drinking with three of them earlier). I hope they get hwy 7 in better shape to allow people to come here and hopefully, get hwy. 36 open ahead of schedule. Hwy 34 is completely lost. Don't expect that to open till next year.
But even a small amount of fall revenue will help. Especially when there are so many small business owners up here dependent on that seasonal influx of money. Winters up here, as many of us know, are pretty quiet & dead.
Sun Sep 15, 2013 12:43 am
Generally, Estes Park fared fairly well when compared with the surrounding areas of Glenhaven, Drake, Lyons, etc. Most services are back online throughout town and we have access to the outside to the outside world via Trail Ridge Road and somewhat through hwy 7 down to I-70. We have a couple of sections of town that are cut off and are being evacuated as well as compromised roads throughout town. There is a fair amount of mess to clean up including downtown, but to our knowledge no one in the Estes Valley has been injured during this event. As Kane's friend said, the real challenge for many in this community is that we are very dependent upon these next four weeks for a very large portion of our total yearly income. It is going to make for a challenging winter financially for all those dependent upon tourism. It may also significantly impact next year as well. Regardless, most people up here are upbeat and working together to get through this. Thanks for thinking of us!
For those who are interested, my gallery survived without any damage and our house came through this with only a few leaks in the roof and basement, which is much better than many throughout town. I'm helping out with cleanup operations and now that I have Internet access I can start doing a bit of work too. Currently, Rocky Mountain National Park is closed and could be for a number of weeks, so no photography options for a while.
It sure is a mess up there--this slideshow from kdvr is very sobering--i think Kane's estimate of next year on highway 34 is probably too optimistic.
http://kdvr.com/2013/09/15/slideshow-hwy-34-destroyed-through-big-thompson-canyon/
I normally complain about my third floor apartment but now it seems like that is a luxury. I took off from work Thursday and Friday and quite literally went door to door to help neighbors rip out carpet from flooded basements. A good friend of mine and fellow photographer had his whole apartment flooded, but only minimal loss. A couple who are two of my closest friends in Boulder got rescued, and then his wife went into labor. They were interviewed on NBC's Nightly News on Friday, but their house sustained severe damage.
The biggest encouragement around here is that neighbors are helping neighbors, people are going out into the community to serve those affected. Boulder had it relatively easy compared to Jamestown, Estes, Longmont, and a lot of Weld county. It's definitely going to take a lot of time.
EDIT: A thought came to me after I posted this. What if we turned the fall color contest into a fundraiser? Optional donation of $25/image to benefit the residents of Estes and other areas. Maybe we could even get the other forums to do something similar. Just a thought.