Wild Weather at Wildwood

Wild Weather at Wildwood

My lover Sarah and I were at Wildwood Resort for a yoga retreat. Wildwood is a rustic place on top of the hills above the Russian River. We had met there at another retreat a few years earlier. We had driven there from the Bay Area, blissfully unaware that there could be any problem with the weather. We were enjoying the views, the yoga and meditation sessions, mealtimes, and each other when soaking rainstorms parked themselves overhead.

I don’t remember which happened first, but the power went out and the buildings started leaking. The increasing cold, darkness, and wet made our stay less and less comfortable. We went to bed early to preserve power in the flashlights. Then the lack of refrigeration began to impair the quality of the food. Finally, we heard on the radio that flooding was expected along the Russian River, and we would need to leave for home a day early or we would be stuck there for several days until the waters subsided.

I panicked at the thought of being confined in increasingly unpleasant circumstances, and we fled as soon as we could. My intense need to leave rendered me deaf to all planning and advice. We were supposed to drive together as a caravan, but I pulled out as soon as we were packed. We were supposed to make a different turn at the bottom of the hill, but I forgot – until a passing Highway Patrol officer redirected us. I made another unwise turn that brought us into flooding on River Road, but I drove ahead despite the sign. As the water rose up the tires and the car started to lose traction on the roadway, I clenched the steering wheel and alternately prayed for help and urged the car forward.

My trusty car kept going, and we drove through drenching rain and heavy winds, on the largely deserted roads where we had been directed by another officer.

It seemed like hours, but we finally reached Santa Rosa, a bastion of civilization that had electricity and solid roofs. We settled into a restaurant for a hot meal, relaxed, and rejoiced.