It rained in Los Angeles today. Rain in Los Angeles is a rare event.
The months of February and March make up the short winter rainy season in Southern California.
It can rain one or two days, or there can be a downpour that lasts several days before the weather returns to our normal sunny seventy-degree winter temps.
Eight-three years ago today it didn’t rain. It flooded.
The flood of 1983 is described in the novel ASTEROIDS – Bridge to Nowhere.
It was this flood that wiped out the road, still under construction, that was to wind up the San Gabriel river over the mountains to the small town of Wrightwood.
Whoever had the contract to build the bridge over the San Gabriel River finished ahead of schedule. After the flood, the road was gone, but the bridge still stood as it does today, alone in the middle of the rugged wilderness leading nowhere. The Bridge to Nowhere.
While researching ASTEROIDS, I learned about the bridge and decided to check it out for myself. It’s a strenuous five-mile hike on a trail that takes you and your wet shoes across the river at least three times. After visiting, the bridge and what lies beyond became integral elements of the story.
After ASTEROIDS was published a group of friends joined me for another trek to the bridge.
Click the link below to read a news story describing the flood of 1938 and its devasting effects on the Los Angeles region eighty-three years ago.
The Southern California Deluge of 1938 | KCET
The Southern California Deluge of 1938
KCET