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Yesterday my friend Cherry wrote me a note, suggesting that
I go out to Sunnyside Park see the aftermath of Wednesday night’s violent but
quick thunder, lightning and wind storm.
“Serene” almost captures the flavor of that quiet, lovely
area above the Sunnyside Road east of Sandpoint. Some of the most breath-taking views of Lake
Pend Oreille are to be found in that area.
Well, the serenity has been interrupted in a major and long-lasting
way.
Dozens of beautiful majestic Ponderosa pine rising out of a
lush hillside, now lie on their sides, either whole or in pieces after being
blown to smithereens by those winds which surpassed 70 mph in a few quick,
swirling bursts of brutality.
And, Sunnyside Park where many folks I’ve known forever have
lived in their peaceful sanctuaries above the lake will never be the same . . .
as observers have noted about other cherished areas around the lake.
The fury of the storm left severe damage, some of which can
be calculated by insurance agents and some of which has a value far beyond
anything that can be added in dollars and cents.
It’s a sad and stunning scene, and I can say after taking
Cherry’s suggestion, the sight truly took my breath away and not in a good way.
My heart goes out to all who live in the Sunnyside area and
to all others who are still struggling with both material and intangible losses
created by Wednesday’s unusual storm.
The top photo provides a sense of what the Sunnyside area
looked like before the storm, and I’m hoping the others in this collection capture at least a portion
of the sheer magnitude of its force and destruction.
Like Cherry said, there's no substitute for seeing the scene firsthand.
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4 comments:
My parents lost all of their 100+ year old white pines on Sunnyside Cutoff as well...the home-landmarks left by the original owners, that were easily visible from Schweitzer and had our childhood swings are in pieces on the ground or bent,de-limbed, twisted and awaiting their violent and final settling to the ground...very sad. JBabin
This is so sad. Ronnie and I built a house at the top years ago for Mel Hull. I always enjoyed the trip up through the beautiful pines.
So sad. It was so beautiful up there with all those huge old trees. So many memories.
I've lived on Sunnyside for years and some of the pictures took me a while to figure out where I was actually looking. Currently away but it'll be interesting to see how it looks when i get back.
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