Taken at the Flood

Pardon the pun. Yesterday a powerful storm dumped around two inches of rain on the Potomac River valley. The mountain back roads that I drive over Crampton’s Gap and Red Hill enroute to the park this morning were awash in gravel and rivulets from the storm. Modern Burnside Bridge Road was closed for a time due to the high water. I was anxious to see the Antietam Creek at the Burnside Bridge. There, I shot some video of the high water passing under the bridge. The video was taken from the east (Union) side of the bridge this morning.

While there, I talked with Ranger Rory Moore who told me that lightning struck the observation tower on the Sunken Road (Richardson Avenue) melting the padlock and chain on the tower gate. The photo (left) of the lock doesn’t clearly show that but the lightning certainly fried it.