LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER--

Compare this scene with the bottom photo of the three we posted last evening.  As you can see the emergency spillway did its job.  Now I simply have to dispose of the log and the stump that washed ashore; a very small price compared to what could have happened.

Some work remains, however:

The foreground trail used to lead to the bridge that gave us access to the trail along the north side of the pond and on into the northeast woods.  That's the approach end of the bridge surface (far right) hiding behind branches that piled up behind it when it reached this resting place (lower right).

With some manpower four of us should be able to clear the debris then pick the bridge deck up and replace

it.  The ends are chiseled into each bank and the center is supported on a 4 x 6 wood beam visible in the center of the stream just under the water.

That it was not attached to its moorings probably saved it from being destroyed by the incredible force of the storm's flow.

The stream pictured is the watercourse for approximately 300 acres of upstream watershed.  Two other wood bridges on the east side of the pond were undamaged.  That watershed is only 85 acres in size and doesn't produce enough flow to be damaging.