The Rain Is Back

Last night and into today another tropical system came through and dumped about 7 inches of rain on us, swelling all the rivers and cancelling our planned slog up Morne Diablotins. I was told this at 6:30 or so, and promptly went back to sleep thinking "our activity of the day was just cancelled, I can sleep in". What I should've though was that "people are going to be up extra early and wanting to get going on other stuff". Needless to say I got woken up at 8 and was told peple were sitting in the trucks waiting for me. Oops.

Our first stop on our days work was to take down a site on a high ridge. Right as we're approaching the ridge it starts raining. I put on my rainjacket. Five minutes later when we reach the site it's the most torrentially downpoor I've ever seen. All the neighboring ridges were obscure by sheets of rain being pushed horizontally across the sky in visible waves. In thirty seconds of this I was just as soaked I as would've had I just jumped in the ocean. Even my goretex boots somehow managed to fill completely with water. Then there was a flash of lightning followed immediately by thunder. My Oklahoma roots kicked in and I realized I was standing on an exposed ridge next to a metal tripod. I told the two others with me I was not working like this and returned to the truck. They realized my logic and followed me, leaving the site to be taken down later in the day.

Needless to say all the rain made driving even more death defying as in addition to crazy drivers we had to deal with small landslides blocking half the road and creeks overflowing across the pavement. Lots of the vehicles here also have names written across their windshields, which at times can be pretty funny. I've seen "Why Me? Lord", "Mr. Cool", "Davey", "Righteous", "2 Legit 2 Quit", and "Batman". I've also decided that driving here directly applies to Murphey's Law. The worst possible vehicle to come around a corner will always come around a blind corner at breakneck speed at the least opportune moment. So far the worst vehicle award goes to a cement truck. That one almost threw us off a cliff. Otherwise today we just almost died a few times, mainly by sedans going 60 and not yeilding right of way on one lane bridges. People here are nuts.