LaBelle Damage from Hurricane Erma

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017

So sad to see this active DC-3 airplane completely junked by Hurricane Erma.

The Island Hopping DC-3 was at the LaBelle Airport to have the engines removed and overhauled before being put back in service.

The plane was being used to transport people and cargo in the Bahama's.

With the engines removed it was much lighter and therefore easier to be lifted by the storm winds.

She was flipped upside down on top of an airport fence and into an adjacent parking lot.

Notice the anchor laying in the grass, it pulled both of the concrete anchors out of the ground as the plane tried to lift off.

She was facing the winds when Irma blasted thru LaBelle.

The cockpit looks like the plane was crashed but it was actually in good condition before the storm.

The engines were sent out for a complete overhaul just a few weeks prior to the storm.

Click on this picture to see the bob wire fencing that almost cut the airplane in half as it slide across the fence.

Amazing this much damage could occur to an airplane that never left the field.

About the only damage at the Marina was a few trees uprooted by the winds.

Here a few spectators are watching the DockMaster try to upright this tree with two SUV's....It didn't work.

I should have shot a video of the two vehicles smoking their tires on the pavement...

A major clean up job going on at Mike and Pat's house in LaBelle.

This area was hit hard by Erma, everyone lost trees and the debris is piled up along all streets and highways.

Power still out in most of Hendry County but the troops have landed.
There are hundreds of bucket trucks in the area working day and night.

Getting the fire cranked up to burn tons of debris. The big oak in the background is laying on the ground. It was uprooted by the strong winds.

The giant oak was the center piece of the Harder's back yard along the river.

Another sad conclusion to Hurricane Erma.

Then in the middle of the clean up process we get a call that the RiverBend water plant is down.

Power failures have caused lots of problems in the area....this is just one of many.

Mike and Jose are discussing the computer issues while I wander around thinking about all the hours I spent in this room while I was President of the Board of Directors.

But back at the boat it's business as usual...the crew from Sea King Kanvas is removing the old canvas and making patterns for the new Bimini and Enclosure for Mystic Lady.

No, it had nothing to do with the storm...it was already scheduled to be done.

Hurricane Irma hits Riverbend and LaBelle Area

Monday, Sept. 11, 2017

Driving around RiverBend MotorCoach Resort near LaBelle, Fl. checking out the damage from Irma. Appears the Coach Houses held up good but the trees are a mess. These beautiful Royal Palms will come back but it might take a couple years.

Just a few videos and pictures from our previous home in SW Florida. Christine and I spent 13 years at this beautiful Motorcoach Resort on the Caloosahatchie River.

Looks like our old homestead survived the wrath of Irma.

The trees on this site are some of the oldest in the Resort and only lost some palm fronds.

This is for you Don and Judy. Look what a mess.

I feel an Assessment coming to the RiverBenders.....

Damage at Harder's Hideaway

This huge Oak tree in Mike's backyard went down, uprooted from the strong winds of Irma.

Massive amounts of rain in the last few weeks probably did't help this 100+ year old Oak either.
The ground was saturated even before Irma showed up.

Annie will miss this one, she could climb up it about 6 feet due to the fork near the bottom.

I was sure the glass would have been blown out along the back porch but not a one was missing.
The strongest winds came from the East and the porch is on the West side.

If it had been otherwise the entire porch would be gone....

The front took the biggest beating, leaving a tree leaning on the roof..

I think I made a wise decision to stay at Tim and Karens this time. The house held up very well but probably would have scared a heart attack out of me.

Gonna be several weeks of clean up.

This was the pump house where I had some things stored.
Well, the things are still there (some of them) but the pump house is long gone. Must be in the river.

That's my dingy trailer upside down and hung on the Orchard Pump.

Not a leaf left on the tree out front. Most all of the shrubs are damaged to some extent.

Feeling bad for the Harder's, they have worked so hard to make this place their winter home. Pat and Mike have got the interior just about perfect. Looks like a major overhaul for the exterior.....

Need Gas???....Get in Line..two stations at I-75 and Daniels Parkway.
The lines are long so be patient. Everywhere I traveled today was long lines at the stations that had fuel. Many closed. Sorry for the poor video but traffic was moving very fast. Seems everyone is in a hurry to get to their home or business.

More lines....

Most of these are probably getting fuel for their generators as power is out all over the city.

Luckily, the marina has power, probably because we are near downtown.

But my trip to Publix grocery was a circus. Shelves empty, massive number of people trying to grab anything left on the shelves.

More damage, this from behind the "Karles" house. Some more of our RiverBend friends that have purchased homes along the Caloosahatchie River near LaBelle.

While there I filled Bernerd's generator and restarted it to help keep the fridge/freezer going.

Few more trees down in the front yard. Looks like the Karles have a lot of yard work ahead of them when they return.

Right down the road is the "Kings" home.....Very little damage anywhere, storm shutters in place, trees trimmed back, they must have expected Irma long before anyone else.

Great job Steve.

A few more old Oaks bit the dust in Steve's back yard but other than that no big problems here.

Now I move on to the next one.

Checking on Connie and Paula's lot at RiverBend....All is good..

After Hurricane Irma

Sept. 11, 2017

Not too much devastation to show, just typical storm damage....trees down, streets flooded, signs down, etc. We were certainly spared the worst of Irma when she turned inland at Marco Island. Had she continued on the projected path it would have been devastating.

It sure was a good feeling as I approached the Marina and found all boats still in tact.

The Caloosahatchie River is high from the storm surge but nothing like predicted.

Notice the concrete piling by the walkway.....only about five feet left before all hell would break loose.
Today, instead of walking down the ramp to the boats you walk up it.

Mystic lady looks like she did when I left...no damage that I can see so far.

Even the canvas held together..About 50% of the boats had the canvas removed. I elected to leave it on to protect the upper helm furnishings and electronics from water damage.
It worked.......
Am I lucky or just that good.
I"ll take luck any day.



Next I will try to get out to my Buddy Mikeeee"s place and check for damage. Word is Lots in the LaBelle area. But on my way I am going by the Edison/Ford Estate, heard it was a heart breaking experience.

What a mess.....A beautiful Botanical Garden from the early 1900's destroyed by Irma. Thomas Edison's wife was a bit of a Naturalist and planted many exotic trees and plants at their winter home. We have visited this Historic Site and being right down the street from us we are in awe everytime we pass by.
For any of you who don't know what a Banyan tree is or how it got here click the link below
edisonfordwinterestate.org

Dave Sylver and I drove over to Owl Creek Boatyard today to check on "Gordy's" boat.

We couldn't get to the boat because the water was over the walkways along the docks.

Lots of damage to the structure but the boats appeared to be ok.

The Owl Creek facility is one of the few covered slip boatyard is SW Florida. It is old and I assume it is "grandfathered in" somehow.

Really don't know why new covered slip facilities aren't being built but it may have something to do with storms or maybe just to expensive to build due to laws, regulations, and complicated permits.





Tuesday,  Sept. 12, 2017

It certainly didn't take these Irma survivors to throw a party to celebrate our good fortune.

A little BYOB get together in the Captain's Lounge with some finger food. Everybody had to explain what they learned about Hurricane Irma during a round table type discussion.

A Great Big Thank You goes out to the Marina Staff and the great job all the Captain's and Crews did to properly secure their boats. We had almost no damage to the boats.

The couple checking their phones are looking up pictures they took from the High-Rise condos next to the Marina.

During Hurricane Irma... 2017

Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017

11:00 AM...
Nine hours before the eye gets here.
Looking out the garage window to the house across the street.

Winds gusting to around 40 mph now...continuing to increase for the next four hours into Hurricane Force winds for an additional 12 hours.

Gonna be a long night......

Still have power ( although it keeps going off, then coming on) so I keep a close watch on TV.

My finger is pointing to the area where I am hunkered down at Tim and Karen's house.

Red is 9+ foot storm surge, Orange is 5+, Yellow is 3 to 5, and Blue is 1-3 feet of surge area. I-75 is the red line to the right of my finger.

That's a prediction of what Could Happen, not necessarily what will happen.

My location is near Estero, just West of I-75....the eye had just passed over. My previously intended location was at the Blue Dot near Alva. That is Mike and Pat's house, it sustained much more damage. It was in the Northeastern quadrant of the eye wall. Time of this shot was 7:15, Irma hit my location around 6:30.

1:00 PM...

Tree limbs starting to come down across the street. Can't see any of the yard where I am filming from.

House is holding up good as wind increases.

Don't know if Pool Cage is going to survive though. Not looking good.





2:30 PM..

Minutes before the strongest winds came.

Progression of Horrorcane Irma as she make her way over the house I am hunkered down in. Thank you Tim and Karen for allowing me to hang out at your place while you watch from New York and wonder if you still have a house. Your home is a fortress.
Luckily, Florida Power & Light got our power back on much quicker than expected so I have some blog posts to catch up on before daylight.
I will post some After-Irma pics later....hoping Mystic Lady, Tika 2, and all the boats at Legacy Marina held up as well as I did.
Really worried about my friend Mike Harder's place out in LaBelle. I was intending to stay at his place but the storm changed tracks and I changed locations at the last minute.

Pre-Hurricane Irma Sept. 2017

Wednesday, Sept. 6,  2017

The traffic North Bound out of Florida is unbelievable.....

Evacuations taking place as Hurricane Irma bares down on the entire state of Florida.

My side is wide open. Good day for 80 mph travel.

Left Bowling Green at 4:30 am and arrived in Ft Myers around 8:00 pm.
Not a record but stopped several times for meals and stretching.




Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017

Local restaurants in downtown Ft. Myers are either boarded up or doing so.

They were closing the doors as I was leaving one of the more popular spots. Ford's Garage.

One last burger before I get started with a lot of work.

The work has started, add more fenders on both sides, secure covers, remove sun screens, etc.

Get all systems ready for the aftermath. Generator..check,
Engines...check, Battery Chargers...check,  Inverter..check, bilge pumps...check,
water pump...check..etc.

Fill water tank, empty holding tanks, fuel full, etc.

The work continues another day. Double all dock lines, remove any loose items from upper helm.

Add straps to the bimini braces..

Lots of preparations.....

Our friends, Tim and Karen's yacht..."Tika 2" is also well prepared for Irma.

Everyone at Legacy Marina have been very busy the week getting ready for what might happen..

Currently it appears Irma will impact the East Coast of Florida and we are hoping this will be a non-event here in SW Florida.

Time will tell.


Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017

Latest update has Irma coming up the middle of the state with the possibility of going even further west into SW Florida coast.

As I leave the downtown area...it's just me and the Sheriff's car...

Mostly deserted, business's closed, very little traffic.

Headed to our gracious friends house to ride out this monster storm that is coming right up Highway 41 into Ft. Myers.

So, what does a person do while waiting for the biggest storm in Florida's history to come right over your head.
You take a few pictures of before and hope and pray that the after pictures are the same.

Tim and Karen were so gracious to let me use their beautiful home while they are in New York.

We are truly blessed to have so many friends in Florida.

Get this, Tim calls and says he's worried about the canvas roof over his patio. It was a solid panel roof made of canvas that extends past his pool cage.

The worry was that the wind under the roof would take off the entire structure. He is probably right, so he asked if I would remove it.....get this...with a razor knife.

Wow, never been this destructive before but grabbed a 12 foot ladder and cut her down.

Back in the house for another weather update.

Still the same, lots of wind and severe storm surge along the coast and up the river.

Not good news for Mystic Lady...she is in the best place possible but a 9-10 foot storm surge upriver would be catastrophic

Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for all those along the waterfronts.

7:00 p.m. Report...Storm Surge expected, Caloosahatchie River at Ft. Myers is under the Red Zone.

Mystic Lady is docked at a marina by the bridge just above the FORT MYERS lettering.

More stories and pictures coming during Hurricane Irma if possible...see next Post.

Trail Riding Videos

A 3 minute video of Sasquatch Trail....turn up the volume and enjoy.
Set your video quality as high as allowable with your service....1080p is recommended.

More to come as I edit the videos and work thru the worlds worst internet service. We had better service in the hills of Eastern Ky than here in Bowling Green...go figure.

Island Hopping is the name of the song, and it fits with our journey down this creek.

Eastern Kentucky Rides 2

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Well, we broke camp at Wildcat this morning and loaded up our toys and headed over to "Mine-Made Adventure Park" in Knott County Kentucky.

We are camped on top of an old strip mine that has been reclaimed about 30 miles from Hazard, Ky.  The trail system was developed by the County to promote tourism.

Looks like great weather again for this part of our Eastern Ky. tour.

Mama says she feels like she is camped on a prairie out West somewhere.

Her and Annie are enjoying the peace and quiet. Not many people here this weekend but over 400 campers expected for Labor Day Weekend. That's why we are here this weekend.

Very friendly and rustic area. We weren't here 15 minutes and was invited to a Country Wedding on the premises.

A not so good picture of some of the trails up here on the mountain top.

The campground is far left in the photo. Should be an interesting venture.

We will head out tomorrow for a full day of exploring and charting the trails on our Ride Command GPS.

These trails are also used for horseback riding when the ATV's aren't here. They hold some huge events during the fall season.

Got an early start tis morning and what a morning it is. You can see for "Miles and Miles" as the song says.

We are on top of a knob looking over the Knott County Recreation Area. Free camping anywhere you choose but no facilities.

One lonely camper down there but they are waiting for the group to arrive. We met them later on the trail and there were about 10 vehicles.

Christine and Annie are getting that "Open Prairie" feeling high up here on top of what was once a mountain top, now just a reclaimed knob.

Heading down to the woods trails from here to see what today brings.

One of the first interesting sites we came cross was this early, early 1800"s cemetery way back in the mountains off a dirt road.

We noticed lots of flowers on the markers so we stopped. Most of the headstones were hand carved from sandstone rock from the area and the names were weather too bad to read.

However, the ones we could make out were from deaths around 1802 to 1910. The latter were on marble and easier to read. Seems most of the 1800 markers were children that only lived one or two years.
So sad to think how tough it must have been to live in these hills at that time. Evidently there must have been a community back here for many years before the coal companies bought them out. The cemetery is well preserved and taken care off as well as could be. Just think the parents of these children were born in the 1700"s.

We spent miles in and out of this beautiful creek so we stopped on a gravel bar and had lunch.

No one around for miles, quiet and very enjoyable.

Notice the clean wheels, lots of creek running.......

And about the time I said "no one around" we came across this group of 10 units on the same creek trail.
We had just went thru a "Very Deep" section of the creek and on the other side was a Honda Pioneer that didn't make it thru. It died in the creek and was towed to the other side with a locked up engine.

They had removed the spark plugs, the air filter, the starter, etc. but the engine would not turn over even using a screwdriver to turn the flywheel. It was toast.......
They didn't want to hear it when I told them they probably hydro-locked the engine and bent a rod. So we just quietly left. They had plenty of push power anyway.

Another site was this spring falls that looked like it might have been an old water stop.

It was right on the dirt road that the cemetery was on. People used these springs back in that era to fill their water cans from a horse and wagon.

The old piece of pipe stuck in the ground was the giveaway.

And another great sunset to end the day.
Gotta head home in the morning....so much to do, so little time.