Running Water is Rare - So I Took a Moment to Soak it all in.

Coming home from running errands in Socorro, I opted for the back road, Route 1, AKA The Camino Real, rather than doing 80 mph on I-25.

There’d been scattered thunderstorms, but there are often scattered thunderstorms, and I’d only left the house about 50 minutes before. And was surprised to see a smattering of cars up ahead, just by the Water Tower Road arroyo. They all stopped and debated what to do with the swirling water on the road between us.

I slowed down and rolled down the window. Two good-ole boys were leaning on their trucks and watching the drama develop. Would anyone be stupid enough to ford the flood?

“Looks bad,” I said out the window.

“Aw, you could make it,” the one on the right said, and the other nodded.

I shook my head, “maybe in my beast, but she doesn’t weigh much.” I gestured to my little green KIA Soul. “But pictures are required.”

They looked disappointed. As I pulled into the gravel of Water Tower Road, a half-ton pickup, jacked up high, decided to make the journey towards me. Going fast enough to push up spray to the top of the bed.

Yeah… I wasn’t stupid.

That was the only vehicle I saw cross - sadly, too fast for a picture. But I did get this and some video.

And the video…

Water pouring out of arroyo and onto 2-lane highway.

I was less than 2 miles from home, so I took the safe way. All the way back to Socorro, hang a right at the Tractor Supply, and another onto I-25 where no one even noticed there was any flooding.

Back in 2018, before we moved here, this arroyo jumped its bed and flooded San Antonio. Pics here, Video here. Since our arrival in 2020, we had never seen even a trickle of water in it.

As I took my exit, I slowed to look at the upper reach of the arroyo.

Coming from the Portland Metro Area, the lack of water feels strange. I didn’t realize how much I missed the noise of it.

I took pics and video, then went home to tell R, and we went off and explored farther up the arroyo, to the west.

From the off-ramp looking west.

From the off-ramp looking east. The sound is amazing… couldn’t hear the freeway anymore.

In New Mexico, I learned a new rhyme - “Turn around. Don’t drown.”

This place is always an adventure.