Ever Seen Tremonton Lake...?

 When we moved here a few years ago, several people have told us they once lived in Tremonton or the surrounding area. It's been fun posting pictures of the area and receiving comments from many with fond (and not so fond...) memories of the place we now call home. But today, we saw something that many who've lived here all their lives have rarely seen...

Tremonton Lake.

Yes, it you drive north from Kent's Market toward Garland, to your right you'll see a beautiful lake that's about half a mile wide and a couple of miles long. 

This lake didn't exist last week.

And hopefully, it'll be gone soon.

It's not too deep--in part of the video you can see a livestock fence partially submerged. Thankfully, the newly-formed lake exists in a floodplain--we haven't heard of any flooding from this. Normally, there's a small river that serpentines back and forth and it flows south. It's a pretty little valley when there's no run off, but this year, you could waterski on this body of water. 

Since this is a generational winter as far as precipitation goes, I don't expect this lake to be around very long. Then again, since we've not lived here long, this sort of thing might happen all the time and the water may stick around. Time will tell. 

Driving by, I think it would be cool for the city to put up a dam and have a public lake for fishing, waters sports, even as a beautiful jewel in the middle of the community. But, since they've had the opportunity to dam the river all this time, it's obvious the locals don't want it.

Still, I'd love to get some awesome photos of sunrises and sunsets at Tremonton Lake.

Maybe one day...

2023...Or 1983?

 Had it been cold enough earlier today, we would have had a foot of snow--at least--dump on our already snow-covered ground. But, the temperature turned warm and so we got rain...

Lots of rain instead of lots of snow.

Like many places across the country, we have hit the jackpot as far as precipitation this winter. Like many others, my back hurts from shoveling all the snow. Those old enough remember another year in Utah when the state received above-average snowfall. 

1983.

Are we headed for a repeat?

1983 was incredible. Our little town of Farmington made worldwide new when a mudslide destroyed a dozen or so houses just up the street from where we lived. My brother was living in Japan at the time and saw the devastation on their news. It was the summer and I was about to enter my senior year of high school. The mudslide was only one disaster that hit the state that spring and summer. A small town was flooded after a mountain slid and dammed a river in central Utah. The Great Salt Lake increased its size threatening to flood Interstate 15. And runoff from a Salt Lake City river overflowed so they diverted the water down the middle of the state's capital city. You can see video of most of these events by clicking: HERE.

We're a little apprehensive about where we now live. Earlier today I spoke to a city firefighter after picking up some sandbags. I told him we were relatively new to the area and asked him how bad he thinks the flooding will be. He asked if we knew the history of our house during wet years. We told him it was a new house. We're thinking we'll be okay, at least, we hope we will. We live on a hill but you never know--there's been so much water.

Forty years ago we watched storm after storm dump record amounts of snow...just like this year. I pray if it is as bad, the state rallies and performs miracles just like before.

Remembering Winter Storm Gandalf...Ten Years Later

 A memory popped up on my Facebook feed this morning. Interestingly enough it centered on something I posted exactly ten years ago today...

Pictures of lots and lots of snow.

This winter we've been experiencing a lot of storms, as have others. I've seen many people comment on it, as if they've forgotten that there were times when we would get a lot of snow in the winter. The last couple of years we've somehow forgotten that, being in a drought and all. Looking at those pictures, it reminded me of that storm--it was even named, Winter Storm Gandalf. I found a link on it from the Weather Channel. You can access the link: HERE.

This morning we shoveled the neighborhood driveways again. That's the fifth time this winter, one more than last year. And, we're expecting more snow over the weekend. I don't know if we'll be called out again, but it's a possibility.

I remember that storm a decade ago. I remember shoveling out neighbors who were stuck in the cul-de-sac. It was fun looking at the old neighborhood, seeing friends. I don't remember being sore from all that shoveling, but I'm sure I was. I know this because I'm sore today. Of course, I was younger then...still, lots of snow translates to lots of snow removal.

Remembering Winter Storm Gandalf. It was a big one.