Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Here are more flood images from the historic Minuteman Bikeway, the 500th rail trail in the USA. It looks more like a riverway after 8" of rain fell during a three-day period in Arlington, MA.


This is the Minteman Bikeway and adjacent creek as seen from the end of Lowell Street Place, looking at the back of the Arlington Coal & Lumber yard and westward towards Lexington, MA.


This is the Bikeway as seen from the end of Lowell Street Place looking eastward toward Arlington Center. As you can see, the adjacent creek in the foreground has exceeded its capacity and overrun the Bikeway.

This is the Bikeway as seen from the Gold's Gym parking lot (slightly farther "downstream") looking eastward towards Arlington Center. The creek and Bikeway have become one roaring river. The Lowell Street bridge is in the distance...

...And here is some video taken from the same Gold's Gym parking lot in Arlington Heights, panning from west (Park Avenue bridge) to east "downstream" as in the above image. The power of the water has caused a substantial sinkhole in the pavement of the rail trail on the far side of the yellow center line.

This is the Minuteman Bikeway access from Frazer Road. The water pours down from the Bikeway above as it flows west to east...

...And here is the water in motion from the same vantage point, looking across Frazer Road at the Minuteman Bikeway above.

As daylight fades and the rains slow, the water rages on. I am standing on the Lowell Street bridge looking "upstream"at the Park Avenue bridge as the roaring water swallows the Minuteman Bikeway.

Listen to your Mother!

Mother Nature washed my basement floor -- TWICE!

She must have thought it was looking dirty, because the "100-year flood" has come twice in the past three weeks. It's like she was reading the back of a shampoo bottle: Lather. Rinse. REPEAT.

My mother suggested that I clean up & clear out some of the extra stuff in my basement. Mother Nature made it happen.

It has been raining since Thursday. Conversation around town doesn't start with "Did you get flooded?" but rather, "How much water is in YOUR basement??" This is perfect weather if your basement floor needs a good washing, or... if you're a DUCK!

It's something drilled into our heads from a very young age... "Listen to your Mother!" But as adults, we sometimes question such authority. Not any more!

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These are photographs of the Minuteman Bikeway as taken yesterday, March 14, 2010 from the Gold's Gym parking lot in Arlington Heights, MA.

Minuteman Bikeway under the Park Avenue Ext. bridge looking westward toward Lexington

Minuteman Bikeway looking eastward toward Arlington Center

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"It's not wise to fool Mother Nature" was a great advertising slogan of years past, butter or no butter!