Brent Koppenhaver

Earlier in the month Sara and I traded in her 1998 Toyota Camry XLE V6 for a new 2008 Toyota RAV4 Sport with 4WD, in Barcelona Red. The Sport package gives it 18″ wheels, fender flares, a blacked-out grille, and a unique charcoal interior. We also opted for the 269-hp V6 which gives our little cute-ute serious power. Plus it has a new 5-speed transmission that gives the V6 a 26 MPG rating on the highway–our first tank came in a little better than 24 MPG.

Compared with the Camry the RAV4 is taller and wider but shorter in length by eight inches. In fact, it’s only seven inches longer than my Subaru. Inside the cargo space is considerably more usable than either vehicle due to rear seats that fold into the floor as well as reclining and sliding front-to-rear. The rear door is hinged on the side, which we don’t like as well as a more traditional liftgate, but it allows for a full-size spare that’s out from under the vehicle where it would eat up interior volume. It’s absence leaves two large storage compartments under the load floor which really come in handy for carrying small items in the back without a lot of clutter.

Behind the noticeably smaller steering wheel the new Toyota handles like a tall wagon on the road. The V6 is completely unstressed in normal around-town driving, and you need to get on the interstate to really open it up. The turning radius is surprisingly tight which allows for easy maneuverability in parking lots. The control panel looks modern and the stereo is several steps better than the Camry (which started losing preset buttons towards the end). It has an in-dash six-disk changer and an MP3 player input. Sara and I are really pleased with our new trucklet, and we’re looking forward to breaking it in on its first road trip next weekend when we visit the Wisconsin Dells for the 4th of July.

In my last post I mentioned that the Coralville Reservoir was running 4 feet below the emergency spillway, submerging most of the Sugar Bottom MTB Trails. Well, the situation has worsened considerably. Repeated strong rainstorms upstream have inundated the Iowa and Cedar Rivers with water volumes never seen before in our recorded history. In Cedar Rapids, the Cedar crested at 31.1 feet, which is 11 feet over the previous record and 15 feet over major flood stage, filling what is known as the 500-year flood plain. The odds are that a flood of this magnitude will happen only once in 500 years.

In Iowa City, the Iowa River has not yet crested but is predicted to hit 33 feet, which is 4.5 feet above the previous record (1993) and 8 feet above major flood stage. Officials are predicting that the 500-year flood plain will be impacted in Iowa City as well. Coralville has also been flooded along Highway 6 near the Iowa River and Clear Creek is backing up, creating additional problems to the west. The reservoir upstream of Iowa City is expected to rise to over 5 feet above the spillway, which will be the highest level recorded in its 50-year history. Here are some pictures of the Res from the dam before it went over: beach underwater | spillway.

Numerous mandatory evacuations have taken place in the cities affected by flooding. In Cedar Rapids alone officials have stated that over $736 million in property has been affected. Thankfully North Liberty has not had any flood-related problems as we are located on high ground west of the Iowa River. However, traffic in the area has been impacted significantly. I-80 has been closed where it crosses the Cedar and the detour is all the way to Dubuque and Highway 20 because I-30 is also closed. I-380 in Cedar Rapids is the only bridge left open that allows travel from one side of the river to the other, and it’s gridlocked. To the south, I-380 and 965 will be closed for a week where they cross the Reservoir. The DOT is recommending motorists detour through Des Moines to get between CR & IC, a distance of 280 miles! The picture above is of Mehaffey Bridge, which connects North Liberty and Solon. As of this morning it is also now closed. I’m continuing to look for routes that can to take me to work in Amana on Monday.

There only way to describe the situation is as a complete disaster. In Iowa we are accustomed to severe weather in the form of tornadoes or thunderstorms, but this flooding is worse than anything I’ve ever seen before. 1993 was the last time Iowa had severe flooding, but by all accounts 2008 has been much worse, at least in Eastern Iowa. It will be years before the communities affected by this catastrophe will be back to normal. Outside today the weather is beautiful, sunny with light wispy clouds and temps in the low 70’s. It’s hard to comprehend the devastation only miles away in Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, and many other communities in the area.

Reservoir Gauge | River Levels | Road Closures | KCRG | Gazette | Press-Citizen