Monday 04 April 2005
Flood adventures in Spring
(or - springtime, when the nuts and the bears return)
When I went to 'the Cottage' to check out the Susquehanna River level, there was, naturally, still a hole in the road, so I had to walk the dirt road to 'the Cottage'. Fortunately it was relatively warm and very sunny, and though it was very windy, the road is surrounded by hills & trees that blocks the wind.
So I'm walking down the dirt road, and I see a pile of crap in the middle of the road. Of course at first I assumed someone had their dog on the road. But then I did a double take, and realized it was not dog do-do.
After looking at it for a second, it occurred to me that bears have come out of hibernation in the area, and the pile of excrement was bear poop.
Worse, it looked fresh. For having been lying out in the sun & dry wind, it didn't look too old nor particularly dry.
I sang the rest of the way down the road, so as not to creep up on and startle the bear that pooped the poop, if he was still in the vicinity. And thought about ditching the cheese crackers I had in my bag.
Fortunately, I didn't come across the pooper... I mean the bear.
I could hear the river even from the road. And when I got to the river the noise of the wind and the water was so loud it was almost deafening.
I could hardly hold the camera steady in the violent winds.
So though it was sunny, it was still a pretty stark sight.
But it looked like the waters had receded just a tiny bit. And there was no evidence that the river had risen much farther into the yard than it had the day before.
So it looks like this is possibly the 7th worst flood in recent times. And not even comparable to last year.
Floods - Susquehanna River at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - Period of Record 1929 - 2001
(pdf file)
On my way out on Route 2013, I saw a man near the river walking his dogs.
Or rather, he was just standing there watching the river while his dogs ran around the railroad tracks and back to him. But the reason I say he was walking his dogs is because there was no other car in sight besides my own. So he was definitely a local.
I was reminded of the various warning cautions I heard from various people worried that I might get too close to the river and get 'swept away by flood waters'...
Because this guy looked like he was standing right on the precipice. And with 2 big dogs. I really hope they weren't the type of big dogs that like to jump up and bowl a person over!
And then I went to the Falls Bridge to take photos.
While on the bridge, taking photos of the river, with my camera, from behind me I hear a car approach, slow down, and a man's voice saying in a very assuming tone, "Wanna ride?".
Naturally I turned around in confusion & mistrust, with a you-can't-be-serious look, and he then said, as if backpeddling, "So, do you need a ride?"
I said, with my camera still in my hand of course, pointing to my car right behind him, in a you-can't-be-serious tone, "My car's right there."
To this he first looked back to see the car, as if he hadn't noticed it (he may not have), paused, and then responded, "Well, I thought you were stuck."
To that I pointed to my camera, and sweeping a hand across the scene of the river, I said in a tone as if speaking to an obstinate customer service line operator, "I'm taking photos of the major flood that's going on here."
Now before anybody accuses me of being ungenerously rude to a gentleman who was offering assistance to a woman he thought was a damsel in distress...
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- He had a slick tone and demeanor that resembled the type of guy I'd had the misfortune to come across when walking the streets of the less reputable parts of the city of Wilkes-Barre some years ago, who would lean out his window and ask if I needed a ride. And of course, what it really meant is, "Are you for sale?" (in some way, shape or form). Granted, I wouldn't have expected to encounter that in a rural town like Falls in broad daylight during 'rush hour', but there it is.
- My car was parked right nearby, and he obviously hadn't seen it, or at least hadn't realized it must be mine, until I pointed it out. Thus, I believe the "I thought you were stuck" line was actually a lie he cooked up after he realized he wasn't coming across as charming & I was treating him like the suspect he seemed to be.
- I actually had the camera in my hand, and was actively taking photos when he stopped and interrupted me. He couldn't have failed to notice that I was busy unless he was too busy thinking about picking someone up.
- There's a major flood going on, and over the past 2 days I'd seen several other people along the river, and on the bridge, looking at the water and taking photos of it. Not only that, but people do, even in ordinary times, walk along bridges to look at the water & the view.
- If someone were on the bridge with car trouble, looking for a ride somewhere, why would they be several yards away from their car, and completely ignoring traffic and their car? Someone whose car was stuck would be standing with their car. And someone looking to be picked up wouldn't have their back to traffic.
- The Falls Bridge Deli, not to mention a couple of other businesses, are practically in spitting distance of the Falls Bridge, and they have a pay phone. It's not like I was standing forlorn out on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere.
- Numerous other cars passed by and none of them stopped, or even slowed down to gawk. So I think it was pretty obvious I wasn't in trouble.
- A real gentleman would not imagine that a lady of any sense would accept a lift from a complete stranger. A woman who would get into a vehicle with some guy who stops on the road is taking a big risk indeed. It's a good way to get oneself assaulted, robbed, raped, or worse - killed. The risk isn't worth it, and any man thoughtful enough to offer assistance, would realize that.
- A genuine concerned citizen with sense would offer the use of their cell phone, or offer to go to the nearest payphone and make a phone call for the stranded person, or they would ask if there was anything they could do to help.
They wouldn't be offering "a ride". In fact, a sensible person wouldn't offer a ride to a complete stranger out of concern for their own safety.
- I think a normal person would've just driven off after the first explanatory sentence out of my mouth, not bothered to stick around to explain themselves, or carry on a discussion about it in the middle of the bridge, right in the lane.
And what was also a tad odd, is that he drove a few feet, and actually stopped and looked back at me... until I raised the camera to take a photo of him.
No, he was being shifty and he knew it, and I called him on it. If I was out in the middle of nowhere, or it was after dark, in a city, etc., I would've just brushed him off politely in the interest of safety. But in a populated place in broad daylight, where I've often seen police cars patrolling, I'm not about to just pretend his behaviour was normal, because it wasn't.
(And if you're still thinking it's polite to offer a woman one's not acquainted with, on a bridge, 'a ride', under any circumstances, before you defend the wanna ride guy, re-read numbers 8 & 9 again, because obviously the word "killed" didn't register the first time.)
After that, I made my way home over the mountain again, and while traveling through South Abington Township, I passed what might be the wanna ride guy's home someday, if he's lucky...
The Clarks Summit State Hospital.
And as I took a photo, I thought about how they have pretty nice grounds there, and quaint architecture to boot. From the outside, at least, it looks like the type of place to which I could retire happily. Though of course looks can be deceiving. I've known 2 people who've worked at the facility, and I was told, many years ago, one of them very suddenly stopped wearing a neck tie to work for some reason.
And thankfully, it was sunny and warm traveling through Clarks Summit, as opposed to the snow encountered yesterday.
posted by Chloe | Monday 04 April 2005 11:59 PM
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