What a vacation tale you've just spun, JEBar.....scary happening. And what a wakeup call you had!! Grateful that you and your wife are okay.
Your story reminded me of the time when we were travelling from KS to IL during the 1993 Mississippi flood. We often travelled I-70 east through St. Louis to visit family in northern IL. Because we were driving
very carefully on that trip, we couldn't get pictures of what we saw as we approached and then crossed the Mississippi River. Never realized how significant and catastrophic the flooding was that year. Here are a few reminder pictures, which don't even come close to telling the story.

- Miss River flood 1993_b.jpg (6.71 KiB) Viewed 2654 times

- Miss River flood 1993_d.jpg (9.23 KiB) Viewed 2654 times
Some things my wife and I do recall from the river crossing. For a long distance before we reach the river banks, the interstate was significantly flooded, and often down to almost one lane for traffic in both directions. Quite a drive. Then as we drove the bridge across the flood waters, we saw a large farm house, similar to the one in two of the above photos. What grabbed our attention is that the house was about as large as the one we owned in KS. Our house was 2-1/2 stories tall, and the roof peak at highest point was +26 feet from the ground. The house we saw while driving was standing upright in the water, not tilted like the photo. Anyway, all we saw of this similar-sized inland farmhouse above the Mississippi flood waters was
maybe two feet of the roof gable --- incredible to imagine our farmhouse being under water like those poor folk experienced!! Flooding does terrible damage.
OK. This will be an interesting, on-going weather thread to read throughout the rest of this year.
Ah.....but never would have thought that the author of the thread would have such a flood story to tell so soon after posting it.....
Again, glad all is okay and you're safely heading home. Take care.
JEBar wrote:8-15-16 ..... on Friday, Aug 13 we arrived in our camper in Fenton, MO .... it is a community that has been swallowed up by St Louis .... it rained most all of yesterday, not a hard rain but a steady one .... St Louis Flooding ===>
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Heav ... 142931.php <=== .... about 5AM this morning we were awakened by someone banging on the door .... we were told water was coming up .... we quickly dressed, my wife went to work inside, I went outside ..... I stepped into ankle deep water that had some current to it .... needless to say, under such conditions, everything seems to be harder and take longer .... somewhere along the way my rain hat fell off, will probably end up in New Orleans someday .... by 5:20AM when I walked up to the driver's side door, the water was up to my knees and the current was stronger .....