Rain in the Desert

Yesterday we had accumulated 7 rigs on a nice flat spot in the desert near Yuma, ready to caravan into the Gypsey Journal Rally together. The forecast called for rain which was a worry, but at 3AM this morning I could see stars and thought we had dodged that one. The rain came in at 5 and by 7 I was in the middle of a stream.

The storm passed, but the road out of our nice flat place was flooded with runoff from the nearby hills. Scouts went out to check the situation, and found a cross-country route to a nearby mining road that offered some promise. I was ready to give it a try and we made arrangements for Chuck to come get me and pull me out if I got stuck. If I made it I'd call the others and let them know. Good plan.

I managed to go about 6 feet and sunk deep into mud. It was nothing for Chuck to hook me to his winch and I was out of there. It was easy, but when I got on the state highway it was basically unrecognizable, covered with water, mud and sand. No problem, but when I got to the interstate I entered a thunderstorm and it was a downpour and lightning all the way into the fairgrounds. The rest of the group headed out after me, as we figured it was either get out right away or be stuck for 2 more days.

Yuma gets about 3 inches of rain a year, the driest town in the US. This season they've had 5 years worth of rain. I've always feared rain in the desert, but not until this year did I have to deal with it. And way too many times for my taste.