Photos and text copyright Romping and Rolling in the Rockies 2009-2017.

All photographs and text within this blog are copyrighted.

You may not copy or repost any photos or text without specific permission from the author of this blog. When in doubt, please ask.

Monday, September 6, 2010

May the wind stop, right now!

Yesterday evening, obliviously relaxed, K and I hiked to a strategically chosen spot to place a wildlife camera. The air was warm, the leaves were brilliant, and the woods were quiet.K looked radiant in the sunlight. Sometimes, I stop and gaze at her in amazement - she is so beautiful to me.
A front blew in overnight, with wild winds and cooler air. While I prepared for our bike ride, the Duo snuggled, still blissfully asleep.
K and I rolled up high and saw nothing but beautiful blue skies in every direction and brilliant aspen leaves. The air was crisp and clear with tremendous gusts of wind hitting us periodically.
Near the start of our ride, I saw the first fresh sign of bear activity in at least a week. A stump was ripped apart last night, undoubtedly by a bear. I had K pose on it but she was nervous - I think that his scent lingered. In general, based on the waning signs of bear activity, I think that our bears are slowing down, not eating so much, and getting ready to den.
After our ride, I dropped K at home and pedaled out for a leisurely mountain bike ride. I started deep in forests with no views in any direction. After much tough climbing, I emerged onto a ridge where the winds buffeted me so hard that I kept swerving off the trail. I took a photo in my favorite direction, with the autumn colors in front of the Divide.
Then, I rode another 100 yards, and my entire world view changed.
Yes, that's a humongous plume of smoke. It appeared to be coming from where I lived, and I completely panicked. I was halfway through my ride, as far from home as I could be on this particular loop. I threw all my energy into pedaling, trying to get home as soon as possible. I believed that evacuations might have already begun. I could even hear sirens in the distance.

It turned out that our house was on a direct line between me and the fire but the fire was about three miles beyond our house, as the raven flies. All day, the winds have continued howling and the fire has spread to thousands of acres. So far, it's blowing away from us but we're still packing as if we're going to have to evacuate. Oh my, what a day - it started relaxed and now I'm scared. You never ever know what's going to happen next in life.

My thoughts are with those people and animals who are in the direct path of the ferocious inferno.

9 comments:

  1. I first saw news of the fire from Champion of My Heart, then checked on Dream Valley, and now you. I'm so glad so far everyone is safe. I hope it stays that way!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We sure hope the wind stops! Please stay Safe. Fire is a very scary thing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just read earlier today how quiet the current fire season is, and then heard of a fire in your area and wondered how close you were. Prayers for safety and security.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We're hoping that everything will be alright for you! I can't imagine how heart-stopping that must have been!

    K is always beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh no -

    Fingers crossed they get it under control and you stay safe -

    I can only imagine THAT feeling when you saw the plumes -

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fires are so scary. Here in Southern California, we experience them way too often. I'll be keeping my paws crossed that it gets under control quickly.

    wags, wiggles & fire-retardant slobbers
    Murphydog

    ReplyDelete
  7. I missed this post and just wanted to let you know I will pray for the safety of the people and animals. Very scary!

    Jo and Stella

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so glad you and Sue are okay.......my heart goes out to all that have been affected by this terrible fire :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. My thoughts and prayers are with you and others in harm's way. I hope and pray they get this thing under control. I heard three firefighters have lost their homes, among others who also lost them...

    ReplyDelete

If you are a Blogger registered user, you can skip the step asking you to verify that you are not a spammer. For posts older than 5 days, I have comment moderation turned on.

Thanks for your comments!!!!!