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August 22, 2005
Broken dam
My commute home this evening left something to be desired.
It started out with a damp ride to the station in Gières. After waiting for a few minutes, we saw the chef de gare come out and talk to people waiting. My neighbor said it didn't look good, since the lights in both directions were red and stayed that way.
The chef de gare said there would be no trains between Grenoble and Chambéry, as the station in Lancey was flooded. That was a surprise, since it had only been sprinking all day and a bit this weekend. It was hardly a torrential downpour. I called Nathalie and suggested she meet me if she could in Brignoud in the car, halfway down the valley. It wasn't that I couldn't just ride the hour or hour and a quarter home, but it has started to get dark earlier and I've run out of batteries for my headlight and lost my little tail light.
The road on that side goes through the center of Lancey, which is uphill from the station. So I figured there would be no problem riding on the Belledonne side of the valley up to Brignoud. I took off at a brisk pace as it had started to sprinkle and I was cold. Riding hard, I got to Lancey fairly quickly. The rain was starting to come down harder.
In the center of Lancey, the traffic was backed up and people were turning around. I soon found out why. The main street down to the station was literally a muddy river. The firemen were evacuating people in a large, high truck with tractor tires. Other people were standing and watching, taking pictures or talking on their mobile phones to explain the situation.
"Yes, we heard the dam broke. There's water everywhere. No, you won't be able to meet me coming the other way. The whole road is blocked. The water is 50 cm deep in the middle."
I decided not to chance it and rode back towards work, where I found a pay telephone and managed to get Nathalie on her mobile.
Now I have to go clean my chain again.
Posted by Mark at August 22, 2005 09:17 PM