Boulder Wildfire in Sunshine Canyon

Boulder has been extremely dry - no rain, no snow.  The drought caught up with us this morning.  A man who had to visit the bathroom at 1:40 this morning, glanced out his window and saw flames on the wall of Sunshine Canyon, to the west of town.  He called 911, the emergency number, and reported it.  Thanks to his call, reverse 911 calls started going out, and over 1,000 house were evacuated.  People and small pets can go to the East Boulder Community Center, and large animals have been evacuated to the County Fairgrounds.
   Beatrice and I awoke to heavy smoke and the smell of burning this morning.  We thought that someone had set a trash dumpster on fire - but could look out the window and see smoke billowing up directly to the west of our building.  So we immediately turned on the local news and found out about the Sunshine Canyon fire.  It's a block to the south, and then 1.5 miles to the west of us.  At this time, 12 hours after the original call, the fire is 20 % contained, and has burned 70 acres...  Luckily, no homes or buildings have caught fire.  Besides fire fighters on the ground, both helicopters and planes have been dropping water and slurry to deter the spread of the flames.  I hope it gets contained completely soon...
   Usually March is one of the snowiest months of the year in, and around, Boulder.  So far this month, we have had 1/8 inch of precipitation - a 6-hour drizzle.  Our usual high temperatures in March are in the upper 40s and low 50s; yesterday we reached 82 degrees, and the regular high temperatures have been in the 60s and 70s.  Today we have a high wind watch, typical of March.
   I picked up a client from the Denver Airport last night at 8:30, and he asked me if I thought it would snow again this year, because he was thinking about taking his snow tires off his car.  I laughed.  I told it was going to snow at the end of this month, in April, and probably the last snowfall would be the second week of May.  He was aghast - and wanted to know if I'd read that in the Farmer's Almanac.  I told him, "Nope.  I feel it in my bones."

Photos of the Sunshine Canyon fire:

 

Black Forest Fatalities

I'm living at Rosie's this week... and we had a hum-dinger of a lightning storm right over the house last night.  Rosie shivered and shook at the foot of the bed, and I curled up around her, talking and petting and stroking.  She finally relaxed, and ended up sleeping beside me all night.  Lovey and Nedi were happy with my early morning return, and are outside, playing with the squirrels and ravens.  I'm ready to take a nap, and I've only been up for 2 1/2 hours...  I guess I didn't sleep well.
  The Black Forest fire is now 85% contained; the home toll has risen to 509, with 28 homes damaged; and the two victims of the fire have been identified.  The couple were employees of the Innovation Division of Space Command's Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations Directorate.  The husband was a software developer and his wife a US Air Force civilian contractor; they were working for Schriever Air Force Base. Apparently the husband was a gun enthusiast and there was quite a bit of ammunition, as well as propane tanks in and around the home.  The couple were trying to remove all of these for the safety of the firefighters.  The person who spoke to them by telephone at 5 p.m. Tuesday said they heard "popping noises" in the background.  The fire apparently swept over the couple in their garage extremely rapidly after the call. There are still 937 homes in the Black Forest burn area that are under evacuation orders, and the evacuation area cover 9,830 acres.
   We expecting highs in the low 90s for the rest of the week, with low humidity, and gusty afternoon winds.  That is just what the fire demons like...

All Sorts of Things...

We have a cloudy morning here in Boulder, but we're expecting a high of 64 degrees. I've fed, loved, and walked Finn and Skippy. Gotten home and loved and fed Nedi and Lovey; then I'll go walk the Rs, and then pick Boo up and take her back to stay with Finn for a couple of days... Lovey and Nedi want more and more affection, and, luckily, I'll be able to spend much more time with them after Saturday.

  Ever since I first saw the Visigoths in the Capital One commercials, I have liked Garth, the usual spokesman. I finally found out that his name is Jonathan Ryland, and he was born in Surrey, England in November 1973 - while I was a senior in high school. (Geez, that makes me feel ancient!) But in any event, I now know his name and can see other things that he has appeared in.

  There is a wildfire burning in Bent County, Colorado right now, where they are under an extreme drought. - And down in Brazil, there is a huge wildfire burning at the Taim Ecological Station. It has already consumed 1,400 acres, and as there is very little water available, it will probably be allowed to burn itself out,,, Which is frightening to me. - And there were two more Accomack Arsonist fires last night in Virginia. Fire-fighters are stating that the second fire, near Greenbackville, was set by a "copy-cat" arsonist.

  Besides the Florida and Louisiana Derbys being run this weekend, it's also the big day of racing in Dubai. Racing network TVG will provide live coverage of the $27 million Dubai World Cup program March 30 beginning at 9 a.m. EDT. Highlighting the action from Meydan will be the $10 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I), Thoroughbred racing's richest event. "Dubai World Cup day is one of our sport's biggest events, and TVG is excited to once again televise all the action for our fans," said Don Scott, TVG vice president of marketing. "Because of the outstanding group of American-based horses, and the pageantry of the event, we have added resources to enhance an already impressive TVG telecast."

My Father, Critters, and Wind

Today would be my Father's 90th birthday. - I miss you, Dad. You taught me to track, hunt and fish; how to tie knots; the right way to put a tent up and the best way to build a campfire. You encouraged me to learn, to look into history, and to dream about tomorrow. You taught me about sportsmanship, and how to project my voice at sports events. (My friends from school still remember you best yelling, "Go, Rams, go!") You taught me to stand my ground for what is right, and you taught me that prejudice is stupid and a waste of time. Thank you, Daddy, for everything you gave me.

   It's windy again today - the wind kept waking me up during the night, as it howled through tree branches and around buildings. The wind did not affect the Galena Wildfire yesterday, near Fort Collins. The fire is at 90% containment and has burned 1,350 acres. Hopefully our fire fighters will be able to achieve total containment today, and we'll all be able to breathe a little easier.

   The cats had a a ball again yesterday, running in and out and playing tag with the squirrels and ravens. I'm preparing to go grab Rosie and Remy and take them to visit Boo. Remy will, hopefully, lay in the sunshine, while Rosie will chase her blue bone and the multiple squirrels in the yard. I need to stop in at the library and get some more books to read - hope I can find a few new ones that will meet my criteria!

   And my friend Michele sent a URL that I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday - it is a National Geographic magazine article about our wild horses, or mustangs, of today's West. It is well worth the time to read it, and it reminded me again of my heroine as a teenager - Wild Horse Annie (Velma Johnston) - I hope you will enjoy this highly informative article: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/wild-horses/fuller-text/1

800 Acre Colorado Wildfire

I heard about a small fire in Soldier Canyon this morning - it is now known as the Galena Wildfire and is nearing 800 acres in area consumed.  This fire is to the southwest of Fort Collins, in Lory State Park, near Horsetooth Reservoir.  One section of this fire is within 1/4 mile of the edge of the High Park wildfire, which burned over 87,000 acres last summer and fall.  The state of Colorado is in the middle of an extreme drought event.  Today's humidity was 11%, it reached 76 degrees, and winds were extremely erratic and blowing at speeds up to 50 miles per hour.  A very windy cold front is expected to push through the area overnight, bringing a 40% chance of rain for tomorrow.

The Galena Wildfire this afternoon...

Mike Is Leaving...

My thermostat says it's 65 degrees here in the apartment, but my body doesn't believe that - it feels more like 55... When I arrived home last night, I let the kids run outside for 10 minutes before I got cold enough to close the door, and both kits were back inside. Then we watched the end of the Packers-Lions game, and went to bed and snuggled all night. When I went out at 7 this morning, it was 17, and the wind was blowing... Chilly! They say we'll have seasonal temperatures this week, but no snow. That means highs in the low 40s and lows around 20, so I guess I'll have to dig out my long johns so I can stay warm while walking the dogs.

   Mike is due to move to Hawaii on Friday, and I don't know when I'll see him before he leaves. Normally, we'd have a family get-together - at least a close family dinner - before he leaves, but he's scheduling times to see friends and folks that he grew up with, so Kathy, Jim, Sarah, and I might not really get to spend time with him before he flies away. Just last New Year's eve, he asked Annie to marry him, and had purchased a 1.5 carat solitaire for the engagement ring. Annie said yes, they had a quiet weekend together, and then she shipped out for Basic Training. Mike and she had discussed their life together, including kids, and Mike's being the stay-at-home Dad, while Annie got her medical degree via the Army. She didn't read the fine print in her contract, and now wants out. She didn't save any part of her salary, and has spent all her pay on clothes and new gadgets. Mike had a big spring bash for Annie, at his folks' house, to celebrate her finishing training and their engagement. After the party, she admitted that she had had to borrow the plane fare from her parents, had already sold her engagement ring, and was sorry, but didn't think she could spend her life with Mike. (She had been asked about the whereabouts of the ring, and had told him that she couldn't wear the ring while doing her Basic, had gotten into the habit of not wearing it, and had forgotten it and left it back at camp.) Mike felt like he had been rolled over a cliff and stomped by buffalo at the bottom. He decided to get rid of all extraneous belongings and start over - in Hawaii. One of his best friends has family there, and they will help him settle in and get a job... I'll miss the young man.

  The Fern Lake fire up in Rocky Mountain National Park has been covered by over six inches of snow - but some large trees and areas are still smoldering. Officials said that the fire is 80% contained today, and that they expect it to be burned out and dead by December 31. Only one cabin was burned in the fire, but over 7 square miles of pasture, brush and trees has been burnt. The following photo was taken last week of the only burned building; it is copyrighted by Scripps Media:

 

No Snow...

The wind was bitterly cold last night just before 10; I watched the News to see what was holding up the arrival of the predicted snow, and heard that our "snow event" was over. Boulder got NO snow at all. Luckily several inches fell on the Fern Lake fire up in RMNP - the fire is now 45% contained, but is expected to smolder for at least another month. I had a great time with my friend Bea yesterday evening - we had an early dinner at Ted's and then sat and talked for a couple of hours. I think the most surprising thing was learning that Bea was the first black cheerleader for the Broncos - back when, as she says, "they wore clothes and actually cheered" not the teeny costumes and sexual gyrations the "cheerleaders" seem to do these days.... We decided late last night, that, with our shared interests, we need to incorporate ourselves as "The Bodacious Bs."

  It's all of 17 degrees outside, and, as usual, I have the patio door open so the kits can run in and out (but my legs and feet are getting cold, so the next time Nedi comes inside, the door gets closed). I fed and walked Aiko and Yoshi earlier this morning, and have been home catching up on my e-mail and the news for the past hour. Lovey is purring away, but is determinedly sitting between me and the keyboard - my attention should be hers, she feels. - OK, the patio door is now closed, so maybe the heat will begin to feel like it's kicking in...

  Today, The Denver Post published an article about the number of feral cats wandering in the city. It is estimated that more than 100,000 feral cats are living free in Denver. The bird folks don't like them, or the people who feed them. I'm going to urge all of you, who can afford to, to send a tax-free contribution to The Feline Fix, a program of the Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance. You can read about the program and what it does at http://www.thefelinefix.org/ This is a trap, neuter, and return program for feral cats. The captured wild cats are neutered or spayed at the low program cost of $20 apiece. Once the cats have been altered, and given their shots, they are released back into their original range. This way the cats cannot reproduce, are vaccinated, and are back in familiar territory. With the economy tanking and folks losing their jobs and their housing, most people seem to just turn their cats loose rather than take them to an adoption agency. It's a sad but true fact. Please help support and/or sponsor a TNR program, if you can. Thank you.

Snow In the Forecast

Yesterday was a chilly day - even though the thermostat was set at 65, the heat seemed to turn on every 15 minutes or so. The ravens are scolding Nedi in the back yard, and Lovey has decided to eat some food. I spent yesterday and last night with Aiko and Yoshi; they are dear little boys, but decided to bark at something in the front yard at 1 a.m. and really scared me. I was scared because I was sound asleep, and couldn't figure out why there were high-pitched barks coming from a hall way I didn't recognize.... Once I woke up enough to know where I was, it was no big deal - but it was a surprise this morning.

  I didn't blog yesterday because I was so emotionally depleted after meeting with my new shrink Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, I had to give a recap of all of my "problems" for as long as I could remember - and I was astonished at how tiring and draining it was. And Cindy had a lot of questions for me that seemed a little off the wall, too. And once I got home, I realized that she hadn't renewed my medications, so I had to call back and get that done, as well. *Sigh* .... The one nice thing that has happened is the announcement that Prince William and his Duchess Kate are expecting a baby - but I could only grimace when I read that she was suffering from hyperemesis. That's a really debilitating and overtly gross phenomenon, poor girl!

  The Fern Lake fire has somehow managed to stay inside the Rocky Mountain National Park, even though more than 600 people were evacuated (again) on Monday. Fire officials hope to be able to allow some of those displaced to return to their homes today. The winds blew the fire over a 3-mile stretch of country in under 30 minutes Friday night; and if the winds continue in the same direction, with the same intensity and amount of spread, the fire would be in downtown Estes Park within another 30 minutes today. The Fern Lake fire has burned over 7 square miles of trees, brush, pasture, and one cabin since it began back in October. ... And we actually have snow in our five-day forecast! The weather folks are saying that we'll having dropping temperatures Friday and Saturday, and that we'll start getting snow Saturday evening. At the moment, they are only stating that we'll get "a few inches, not the 2 feet that we need." They say the high Saturday will be 34, the high Sunday will be 23, and the low Sunday/Monday will be 10.

  A flock of geese just flew by, honking melodiously. I hope that the rest of your week is as peaceful and calming as that chorus was.

A Windy Monday

It's beautiful outside. At dawn there were a lot of clouds covering the sky, but now the only cloud to be seen is to the west behind the mountains. Nedi is outside watching the squirrels, while Lovey is sitting on the corner of my desk. It's currently snowing up at the Continental Divide, with about 6 inches already piled up. The winds are still whipping around in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Fern Lake fire is now 20% contained; however, more than 600 houses are on the evacuation warning list for this morning. And TaRhonda Thomas is reporting live from the entrance to RMNP, and is being blown about by the wind gusts. One of the oddest news stories this morning was about a fire in Red Feather Lakes, northwest of Fort Collins. Sometime early this morning a fire started at an uninhabited cabin; it spread to a second cabin. The second cabin had a propane tank beside the building, and the fire caused the propane tank to shoot like a missile through the Red Feather Lakes Association clubhouse. Both cabins are total losses, while they are still inspecting the clubhouse that had the propane tank blast through it....

  I'll be heading out shortly to walk the Rs, then I'll hang around until it's time to walk and medicate Peach. After a short visit home, I have to head off again to meet my new psychiatrist. I know that I dread meeting her, as I kept dreaming that wild and crazy men and women were breaking into my apartment all last night and this morning. I'd wake up, scared to pieces, and check the doors and window... It was not a restful night.  I hope I like this new Doc....

  And I was so disgusted yesterday by the Jets and Cardinals game! The coach finally decided to bench Mark Sanchez - hooray! - but Tim Tebow was on the Injured Reserve list yesterday, and didn't even get to dress. So the third string QB, McElroy was called in. He ran the offense down the field and scored the only touchdown of the game - the Cards got two field goals. It was an ugly and extremely frustrating game for me. Then I was able to enjoy the Broncos game, but I had to grit my teeth over the phrasing at the end... "And the Broncos win their AFC division for the second time in a row, thanks to Peyton Manning." This second divisional win was due to Peyton Manning, but last year's win was due to Tim Tebow. I also saw the Cowboys - Eagles game and was disappointed by the lack of defense. So sad....

Intriguing Names in Louisiana

Something must be wrong with the kits; they let me sleep until almost 8 this morning. I smelled smoke from the Fern Lake fire a couple of times yesterday, and one could definitely see the smoke to the northwest. The winds of Friday night spread the fire 3 miles closer to Estes Park, which is what caused the evacuations yesterday. Most folks who were evacuated were allowed back home last night. However, there is a Red Flag Warning that begins at noon today for the Front Range and RMNP, which means winds in excess of 40 mph on top of the drought conditions. I've always wanted a cabin in the mountains, but I'm kinda happy I don't have one at this point in time.

  The kits have been running in and out this morning, as I've checked my e-mails and read the latest news (and stuffed my face, too). It's sunny, but cooler. I move in with the two munchkins on Tuesday, and stay through Sunday evening. Aiko and Yoshi are entertaining companions, and the house is next door to Rosie and Remy, so I'll be close to everyone. (I'm also walking and medicating Peach Monday and Tuesday.) I started marking next year's calendar with reservations yesterday afternoon, and found I'm solidly booked through June already. Then I started looking for more information on Isaac Newton Capps' parents. Since I'm currently reading through the 1850 Census for Louisiana, a couple of names jumped out at me. The first was Alcifort Bonamour, a 25 year-old field laborer; the other was an immigrant from Quebec, whose name was Bigearellide Capis. That first name intrigues me... how would one pronounce it? Break it up into chunks, and get Big-ear-elli-de? It's an interesting conundrum.

  I hope that your Sunday is a super one.

Fern Lake Wildfire Update

  Helicopter and tanker assitance for the Fern Lake fire has been grounded because of high winds and poor visibility, according to a Rocky Mountain National Park spokesperson.  Support to fight the fire has increased from 61 firefighters Friday to 200 on Saturday. Two hot shot crews are on their way to the wildfire and numerous local fire engines are headed to the area, officials said.
   The arrival of two Type 1 heavy air tankers in Southern California will be delayed at least one day because of poor visibility in the area, said Kyle Patterson, a spokeswoman for the park.  The fire, caused by an illegal runaway campfire in Rocky Mountain National Park on Oct. 9, has forced evacuation of 583 homes after strong winds pushed the wildfire to jump established fire lines early Saturday morning.
  "The wind last night was very strong and fanned the flames," said John Schulz, spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff's Department. "It jumped the lines."  One unoccupied, privately owned cabin was destroyed and many others are threatened, Schulz said.  "The fire was spotting a mile ahead of itself, which is an incredibly long distance," said Traci Weaver, spokeswoman for Rocky Mountain National Park. "What happened last night was a rather unexpected wind event."
   Officials working to fight the Fern Lake fire ordered the evacuation of Moraine Park Campground at 1:50 a.m. Saturday, Weaver said. A total of 1,100 home phones and cellular phones were called with warnings. Seven campers were notified in person early Saturday morning, Weaver added.
   The blaze fueled by winds gusting to 75 mph consumed all of Moraine Park overnight, a mostly grassy area of roughly 600 acres, she said. It spread through timber pockets and got into the upper canopy of some trees, but firefighters were able to "knock it down" out of the trees, Weaver said. She said the fire is not spreading as rapidly later Saturday morning after winds died down.  "We are cautiously optimistic," Weaver said. "What we really need now is snow."

Fern Lake Wildfire Causing Evacuations in Estes Park

The kits allowed me to sleep in this morning; I was awakened by the ravens, instead. The children and I had a huge love-fest yesterday afternoon and evening. We had light winds here in Boulder yesterday, but the winds really picked up in the Rocky Mountain National Park during the night hours. The Fern Lake wildfire is spreading like mad - 500 homes have been evacuated on the south-western outskirts of Estes Park due to the fire already this morning. More than 300 people are at the Estes park High School, and the fair grounds area is open for livestock that need to be evacuated. One structure has been "affected" by the fire, but there are no details. Winds are blowing in the 30 mph area, and are expected to gust into the 40s and 50s during the day. This area is extremely steep and the officials are hoping to be able to get slurry and water tankers up for drops; however, the winds may preclude this, as they just said winds might gust into the 60s and 70s. Not good for the wildlife; not good for people with breathing problems. I'll keep up-dating...

The Fern Lake Wildfire in RMNP as seen from Estes Park at 6 a.m. today.

RMNP Fire; Jessica Still Missing

The Fern Lake wild fire in Rocky Mountain National Park has spread to over 400 acres and is completely uncontained.  Due to windy conditions, the fire was allowed to burn in all directions today.  The fire was watched, but no fighting could be done.  Winds are supposed to be calm tomorrow, and 120 fire fighters are scheduled to work on containing the fire, with air support from one heavy-lift helicopter and a large slurry tanker.  Small pieces of ash were falling in Boulder today from the RMNP fire; the air was very hazy.
   Jessica Ridgeway is still missing. Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. MDT, she will have been missing for 1 week - 168 hours.  She could be anywhere in the United States, or in another country by now.  The FBI has cleared her parents and relatives of any wrong-doing.  This 10-year-old girl disappeared within a 3-block radius of her home, walking to join friends, to walk to school.  Please stay alert for any possible sighting of this young girl.

Rocky Mountain National Park Wild Fire

The Fern Lake Fire is burning in Rocky Mountain National Park, just southwest of Estes Park.  The fire was reported at 2 p.m. Tuesday and has burned over 300 acres, near the Ute Trail.  A park spokesperson says they are evacuating campers and hikers from the Moraine Park area.  Bear Lake Road is closed. According to the Coloradoan other area roads are being closed and campers from the Moraine Park Campground are not allowed to return for their camping equipment. The fire is in a heavily forested area. No structures are threatened.

Smoke from the Fern Lake Wildfire in RMNP

 

Another view of the Fern Lake wildfire smoke

 

Small Wildfire in Rocky Mountain National Park

 Fire fighters are on their way to a small wildfire burning on Beaver Mountain in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  The road closest to the fire is Upper Beaver Meadows Road, and then there's a 2-hour hike to the fire location.  Fire fighters have yet to reach the blaze, which was originally reported at less than one acre in size.

Beaver Mountain, RMNP, Colorado

Waldo Canyon Fire Is 100% Contained

As of 8:30 p.m. (MDT) the Waldo Canyon fire, which destroyed 346 homes near Colorado Springs, is totally contained.  While some trees and debris will continue to burn and/or smoulder for some weeks, there is no expectation that the fire will once again run wild.   -   Hooray!!!!