Legalectric

Started out May with this set up, the screen tent for storage — the smaller screens kept much of the rain out — in normal conditions. Night 2, or was it 3, all hell broke loose, with rain, and such strong winds that the guyed down screen tent hung in there until two poles broke and it took off, sailed across the site into the car. That was a 3 a.m., and no fun disassembling in the wind and rain, and then stuffed the tent part under the car to keep it from blowing away. Then the rain started and the vestibule flooded. The good news is I was able to cover up all the stuff that had stored in the screen tent and it stayed right there.

Lessons learned? Got some help to set up the tarp a few days later:

And dug a trench around the upward end of the vestibule to divert water! DOH!

Yesterday, we had the maiden voyage of the Aurora Borealis train between MSP & CHI, of course with an 11:35 a.m. stop in Red Wing — and the Empire Builder was almost 3 hours late, passing through at 11:05. Here’s almost all of our RW City Council Critters:

Headed back afterwards, and with the rain prediction, I made sure everything was under cover or battened down, and yes, it started raining… and raining… and raining. INTENSE rain. It went on and on and on, and it was clear the trenches were not going to keep the vestibule dry! Later, I get word that there’s a tornado warning, WARNING for Red Wing! And still it’s raining and raining… Internet not working enough to get the weather, but really, who needs to know more than “DON’T GO OUT, IT’S AWFUL OUT!” for hours and hours and hours, until after dark, when it finally let up. But lil’ bro sent this:

Vestibule is soaked, but everything up and off the ground, mats, rugs, and plastic covers drying out, recovering.

Today is a new day…