Boulder Creek Field Trip

Let me begin by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this field trip for many reasons.  Particularly, it was an educational way for the class to have fun and get some fresh air and exercise.  I am an avid outdoor enthusiast so I have been to the creek, in the creek, and tubed the creek.  I also run, bike, and longboard the path at least once a week.  The funny part about this is that I was totally oblivious to all of the flood warnings.  As I said in one of my earlier blogs, I am moving directly into the flood plane next year.  It amazes me how the city of Boulder takes zero precautions when it comes to warning renters and homeowners of the potential danger.  There are a few instances from the trip that I would like to bring up to further analyze.  For starters, the glass obelisk that marks the point of 100 year, 500 year, and the Big Thompson flood level.  This flood marker is located just east of broadway; I pass by here almost everyday unaware of this flood warning because if at a glance it just looks like art.  Another instance of an unclear warning sign was the red rock with the pictures scribed next to the descriptions.  Most of the pictures and descriptions were about how Boulder Creek should be environmentally preserved and usable for everyone; only at the bottom did it mention floods.  In contrast, there were also signs that were very clear of the flood danger such as flooding is IMMINENT.  To me the most obvious signs of the flood were areas where the water was so high it was noticeable on the path.  Ben's picture of the water level reaching the bench and my picture of the water level above the sidewalk were the two signs that convinced me of the apparent danger.  Aside from showing us the high water levels, I found looking at the intersection at 28th and the floatable flood door.  The wall that was built to protect the mall is so subtle that millions of people probably drive by it and never take a second look.  The floatable door idea intrigues me; I had never seen anything like this.  I was wondering if there were any more of these located on the flood plane.  Another idea like the floatable door was the breakaway bridge.  I understand the premise that in case of a flood the bridge remains intact so dangerous debris is not swept into the water.  The only unreasonable part of this idea is that the breakaway bridge is a low-traffic bridge that is downstream of much larger bridges that would break and send extremely dangerous debris downstream. As a side note I thought it was helpful at the end of the field trip to reflect on class and see if we needed to do any catching up. Also I talked to my dad tonight and found out that he was living in Boulder going to CU when Big Thompson happened.  He told me how it wiped out full roads and how cars were swept away.  I looked at some of the pictures of the flood on Google and I found some of entire hillsides swept away.  In conclusion, it was a good field trip.