There was a lot of media hype about the date 11-11-11 (last week Friday) and how it was supposed to be a lucky day.... Here in Central Oregon, the day turned out to be pretty eventful!
The Lucky
Despite reports that there was going to be poor weather that Friday, it was really a very nice morning. It was nice enough for a hike. Together with Heidi (my aunt), Chris (her fiance) and Crystal (my second cousin) we set off to hike Black Butte, a extinct volcanic cone that rises 938m and that is pretty close to where we live. (We actually drive 1/2 way up Black Butte then hike the rest.) The hike is kinda long; it took a few hours, but it was worth it - the view is amazing!
 |
| On our way up - with my cousin Crystal... |
 |
| A view of 'Three Fingered Jack' on the way up |
 |
| Looking out to Mt Washington from the Black Butte trail |
 |
| Snow ball attack! |
 |
| Crystal and I, who were ahead a little, tried to ambush Chris and Heidi! |
We reached the top! It took over an hour of uphill hiking, but it was definitely worth it. The view was simply breathtaking
 |
| Heidi, Crystal and myself at the summit |
 |
| I need a break! lol |
 |
| 'Aunt' Heidi |
 |
| Chris packed a nice picnic lunch for us to eat at the top |
 |
| Looking at photos... Crystal, Chris, Tess (the dog) and myself |
 |
| Heading back down, the view is still fabulous! |
 |
| If you look really closely you will spot Crystal on the trail |
The Unlucky
That evening was nothing short of maddness...
Taken off Heidi's Facebook:
CRAZY, crazy night. Here's the story, condensed version. Wind storm.
Driving out of Camp Sherman after dark to pick up our 'rescue' dog.
Just as we round a curve, big tree across the road. Chris swerves down
the middle, and we bump our way over the top of the shattered
mid-section. Car approaches from the other direction,
they too bump over the top. In darkness and wind four of us pull what
we can from the road. Call the sheriff to remove what we can't. Return
from town with the new dog. Phone call from Crystal. "Mom, a tree came
down in the wind and crushed Emily's car!" (Crystal and friends
staying at a near-by cabin.) It's a direct hit on the car. The two
story garage building that it is parked in front of is barely grazed.
The car is a crumbed soda can. Girls are too unnerved to stay at the
cabin in the trees, so come to our house. We arrive to a dark house.
No power. Makita (just recently arrived from Fiji) has been home alone
in the dark. Light all the candles, etc. And oh, saw my first 'moon
bow'--a complete rainbow in the dark sky. Would have been cooler if we
weren't dealing witha crushed car, upset girls, no power, new dog... But
we have an oddly fun evening with a house full of girls (7) and Chris.
Parrot was on her hysterical laugh binge, got everyone laughing, in
spite of the shock of Emily's crushed car. All the while the new dog (a
delightful, charming little thing..) quietly mingles with Tess, three
cats, noisy parrot, crowd of new faces..
Basically, that evening there was a storm (heavy rain and winds). The family here (not including myself) drove out to a nearby town to pick up a new dog they are adopting and on the way encountered a fallen tree, which delayed their trip! Meanwhile, I was at home with Crystal (cousin) and her friend when they got a call from the from a neighbour who said that a tree had fallen on a car at the cabin they were staying at!! The car actually belonged to one of Crystal's other friends who was visiting from Portland City too. Crystal and her friend rushed off to see what was going on with their other friends and the car. I was at home alone when, to top it all of, the power goes off!!
When everyone gathered together again at home a couple hours later, we lit candles and ate food... The really funny thing was that the parrot, Kabo-Kabo, got all excited and was on a hysterical laughing binge for ages - She mocked our laughs and it really sounded like a human laughing!! Everybody was cracking up in laughter at the parrot!
Here are some photos of the crushed car as well as a couple other photos of accidents that happened that night due to the storm:
 |
| Fortunately, the garage remained undamaged... |
 |
| but the car was done for! |
 |
| completely crushed |
 |
| From this pic you can see that the tree, which must have been rotting, broke off half-way before landing straight onto the car |
 |
| Further down the road this car was smashed |
 |
| This photo, off FB, shows damages to a home in a nearby area. This tree went through the roof of the home then 5 feet through the floor! |
A few days later we went to clean up the debris around car 1. It was a huge job to clear the tree and branches off the driveway. It took 3 people + saws, shovels, brooms and a wheel barrow at least two days!
 |
| Before clean up |
 |
| After clean up |
The local newspaper published an article about the damage that happened on the weekend of the 11/11/11 and even quoted Heidi. Here is the link to the article:
http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=19115
