Post #353622 by Dancingcat on Tue, Jan 8, 2008 10:51 AM

Aloha all,

I'm Colin's mom. The reason we didn't have any photos of the place is like, when you're in the middle of the ocean, who knows you're surrounded by water....

I stayed home caring for my two sons, while my husband drove 50 miles from La Crescenta to Cucamonga to work. We visited occasionally but never took photos until after the disaster.

I remember him saying the City of Upland diverted the natural flow of the river into a right-angle bend, allowing homes and this bowling alley to be built in the dry riverbed. It had been dry for over 30 years! Who would dream that the flash floods of 1968 would send boulders crashing down on Kapu Kai, smashing the 6" thick koa doors and tearing up all the heavy bowling seats? I never went back to see the damage but was told the water was over 5' and left 3' of mud in the lanes.

My ex and his partners tried to sue the City of Upland to no avail and we ended up losing everything and moved back to Honolulu a year later.

With the help of family and friends, we put our lives back and my boys are now successful in their careers. We morn the loss but are grateful that none that we knew were injured in the flashflood of '68....but it changed our lives forever....

P.S. I've enclosed my photo because I think it's neat to see who you're talking to.