Thursday’s monsoonal storms wreaked havoc on roads both here in the Morongo Basin and near Big Bear. Just before noon, Indian Cove Road in Twentynine Palms became a river and water flowed down the street to Highway 62, where the intersection became a small lake. The residential streets in the Indian Cove neighborhood were covered in mud, rocks, and water, and at least one propane tank was swept off its foundation. Lear Avenue, and Shoshone Valley Road just to the east, were blocked by mud and debris between the highway and Two Mile Road; several military and other vehicles became mired down in the mud on these roads, which were cleared and opened to traffic a few hours later. And the “back road to Big Bear,” Highway 18, was closed just after noon Thursday due to several mud slides that were up to five and six feet deep in places. Multiple cars became stuck in the mud and debris flows, but Highway 18 was re-opened to traffic just before 5 p.m.
