FLOOD PICS OF CADRON AND NEARBY CREEKS

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Here's the link:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/5716 ... t=outdoors" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The road under the Highway 65 bridge on the south end (not the parking lot end) probably went under water before dark. The photos were taken about 3:00 p.m. there. The road from the parking lot to the ramp was under water where it joins the ramp at that time.

Captain Aleve

[gannon311]

were are those falls

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

The falls are in downtown Romance, Arkansas. I have not run the creek yet. It was clear a couple(?) of years ago when I walked it; probably not clear anymore. Steep and pretty in the first mile,then woody before a big step down into Bayou Des Arc. The homeowner at the falls has built a wedding chapel and was kind enough to let me come in and take pictures.

Captain A

[Scott]

There is a front page article in today's Log Cabin about 3 guys that decided to put on the Cadron in rafts purchased from walmart at the "perfect" level of flood. I looked on their site but the article was not there yet.

Darwinism didn't seem to work this time.

[Andy]

Here is a copy of the article.
DAMASCUS Three Faulkner County men had planned for several days to navigate the Cadron Creek using only the most modest of inflatable rafts and provisions.
At 4:30 Saturday afternoon, the temperature was in the high 50s, the rain had slacked off and the Cadron Creek was humming along at full flood stage.
The conditions, they decided, were finally right.
Three-and-a-half hours later, with help from the Faulkner County Rescue Squad, Faulkner County Sheriff's Office, Damascus Police Department, Damascus Fire Department, a search helicopter and MEMS, they finished the voyage.
Having inflated the vessel, bought specifically for the purchase at Walmart for about $55 and assembled supplies including three life jackets, a paddle and some beer, 48-year-old David Tharp of Plumerville, 25-year-old Nicholas Soviac of Greenbrier and 26-year-old Jacky Hopson of Conway put in at the Highway 65 bridge just south of Twin Groves at 4:30 p.m. and were bid farewell by the three women were to drive to the Highway 285 bridge to pick them up.
Maj. Andy Shock of FCSO said that after reviewing the statements the three men made upon their rescue, the voyage went wrong less than half and hour after it started when their raft ran afoul of a floating tree, capsized, deflated and sank. The men all managed to swim to an island in the creek, which had swollen to 100 yards wide in places and call the three women and 9-1-1.
The rescue squad and deputies responded, launching Rescue-1, an aluminum eight-person rescue boat, at the same place the three men had put in. The three were located quickly, Shock said, and deputies, MEMS and the three women who said they were relieved, anxious and angry drove to the Highway 286 bridge to wait for their return.
By 6:30 p.m., there was still no sign of anyone coming down the creek and deputies were saying that Rescue-1 was out of radio contact. Just after 7 p.m., a deputy called Faulkner County Sheriff Karl Byrd and said that he could confirm that Rescue-1 had also capsized and sank, but the three adventurers and three rescue squad members aboard at the time had all been wearing life jackets and had all made it to shore.
The float trip had become a hike, and rescuers were unsure of their location as the sun was setting. The FCSO helicopter had been called in to search the area when Jayson Perry of the rescue squad located a home on Acres Circle, knocked on the door, and called dispatch to advise them of his position.
Deputies, MEMS, some onlookers and the three women drove to Acres Circle where the six men, three who had capsized once and three who had capsized twice, were finally safe.
We got them in the boat and started on down river but the water was a rough as could be," Perry said, his radio and cell phone as waterlogged and useless as everyone else's. "We went through a series of rapids and it was so rough the water swamped the rear of the boat. We went down a little ways with the boat full of water, and then it turned over."
Perry said the three men he and fellow emergency squad members Chris Kriswell and Bradley Knapp rescued were cooperative and "just happy to be alive" throughout the ordeal.
Tharp and Hopson were arrested on suspicion of public intoxication after being checked out by MEMS. Tharp was also found to have a misdemeanor warrant out of Morrilton and may also be charged with obstruction of government operations for initially giving deputies a false name. Soviak did not register any alcohol in his system and was released. Other than some bruises and scrapes, no one was hurt.
Shock said there were no plans to try to recover Rescue-1 Saturday night.
"We'll look at that (Sunday)," he said. "Right now I want to give kudos to the rescue squad guys. They've risked their lives tonight, and they're all volunteers. The boat and the equipment is all replaceable."

He did say the three men may be ordered to pay restitution to cover replacement the boat and/or the equipment that was on it, and that trying to float Cadron Creek when it's at flood stage is a bad idea.

[SteveGabbard]

At least they were smart enough to take the neccessities of any epic float trip...lifejackets, a paddle (guess they were going to take turns) and beer

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

It seems like we found the motor from the rescue boat a few years ago during a river cleanup after a similarly unfortunate incident. We should get some paddlers together and help look for the boat and motor this week after the Cadron drops below 4 feet, about Thursday if it doesn't rain any more.

Captain Aleve, alias Mike Coogan