Wildfires everywhere! As I look out my window, I see smoke rising from behind the foothills - Mount Sanitas, to be specific. It's been in the sky since yesterday afternoon, when it was listed as a 100-acre fire. Now it's over 600 acres in size, has burned down three homes, and has more than 2,000 families evacuated. One of the three homes belonged to a first-responder. Property, personal possessions, and wildlife are being destroyed because of two idiots who went camping. They had a campfire burning for more than 48 hours, and when they left, they dumped a half-bucket of sand and rocks on top of the fire and left. They were sure that the fire was totally extinguished, with that half-pound of sand and gravel. It was not, and with the normal mountain breezes, the fire soon erupted and spread. One would think that two "good-ole boys" from Alabama would have more sense; but they sure as heck didn't. They were found at an evacuation center in Nederland. They have been arrested. Thanks to these guys, we have more heat, more pollution, the loss of habitat for many creatures, and multiple "Scenic Byways" are closed because of the fire. It will take a long time for this area to become "scenic" again! This fire is still totally uncontained because of swirling mountain winds.
Not only do we have the Cold Springs fire to the west of us, there's also the Beaver Creek fire in Routt County that is over 15,000 acres in size, and is growing.
Over by Golden and Morrison, west-bound Interstate 70 (near C-470) was closed down due to fire, and the Rooney Valley Soccer Complex and a local hazardous materials plant were evacuated.
Near Coaldale, the Hayden Path fire has caused a campground evacuation in Fremont County.
Not to mention the fire inside a scrap metal yard in Denver....
It reached 101 degrees (F) here this afternoon. We are in a continuing drought situation. The smoke and particles in the air do not help with my COPD. I just about choked to death walking the six blocks to the grocery store this morning....
Please be careful regarding fire danger anywhere in the world. Be safe. Don't be sorry. - That is all. -
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Fun Things To Do On Chincoteague and Assateague Islands
In Virginia, people live on Chincoteague and only wild things live on Assateague. In Maryland, a person can camp on Assateague, which isn't possible in Virginia. There are a myriad of things to do and see in either state and on, or around, both islands.
Assateague Island is a National Seashore in both states, and, in Virginia, Assateague is also the site of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR). This confuses a lot of people. Chincoteague ponies run wild on Assateague Island in both Virginia and Maryland - but each state has a unique way of dealing with the ponies. All of the different kinds of wildlife on Assateague mingle and breed together - except the ponies (usually). There is a fence separating the Maryland and Virginia sides of the island, but ponies do, on occasion, break through and mingle. I can definitely say the ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague Island are branded and micro-chipped. The Maryland ponies are not branded. I don't know if they are chipped or not. A person, or family, can legally camp on the Maryland side of Assateague with a permit. No over-nighters are allowed in Virginia.
Chincoteague Island is located within the Virginia state borders only. It's where people live, work and play. If you visit Chincoteague or Assateague for the annual festivals, you know that you usually stay on Chincoteague in a hotel, motel, rental, or bed and breakfast. There are all sorts of festivals on Chincoteague. The most widely known, thanks to Marguerite Henry's book and the 20th Century Fox movie, Misty) is Pony Penning. There are also a Blueberry Festival, Seafood Festival, Oyster Festival, Decoy Festival, Arts and Crafts Festival, Chili Festival, the Volunteer Firemens' Carnival and multiple bird-watching festivals, throughout the year.
If you visit the islands, be prepared for heat, humidity and mosquitoes in the summer. Storms come from the Atlantic regularly - northeasters and hurricanes. I can easily remember the five high tide lines on the wall paper in my Grandfather's kitchen. A seemingly huge storm can sweep across the island in a few hours and wash everything new again.
What is there to do on the islands?
Well, first and foremost, Assateague is a National Seashore. The beach is highly recommended. Get some sun, play in the surf, or walk the beach. There are many walks and trails available for hiking on Assateague in both states. Check in at the respective Visitor's Centers and see what is recommended, or is off limits, for the day. (Some beach areas may be closed due to bird and/or turtle nesting.) There is also a widely varied group of wildlife on Assateague - from over 400 different kinds of birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, to otters, muskrats, the Delmarva fox squirrel, water and grass snakes, turtles and terrapins, white tail deer, miniature elk (aka Sika deer), seals, ponies, frogs and toads, butterflies, raccoons, fox, groundhogs and rabbits, to name a few. Take a birding guide and/or a guide to wildlife tracks. Wild turkeys are in abundance and might startle you. With a fishing permit, you can surf fish from the beach. And you can tour the Assateague Lighthouse from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. during the summer.
Water activities? There is swimming and surfing, or one can take out a canoe, kayak, paddle board, or small motorboat. You can see all the sights on a guided tour; take a fishing boat into the bays or channels, or out into the ocean; you can fish, crab, clam and oyster - as long as it isn't on private or posted property. You can cook and eat what you catch - flounder is running well, I hear. On small cruises, one can take a hands-on ecological tour of the marshes and bays (with Captain Barry), tours around the island of Chincoteague with some local history thrown in, sunset cruises with champagne (with Captain Barry, and others), a guaranteed pony-sighting tour (with Captain Dan), sunrise and sunset cruises on the Miss Chincoteague, and just about anything you can imagine, or want, to do.
On Chincoteague, the choices seem endless - walking, biking or trolley tours; shopping; eating; reading; the library; the cinema; coffee houses; the Carnival on weekends in July; Second Saturday art shows; the Saturday Farmers Market; the Chincoteague Island Museum; the Chincoteague Bay Field Station; the Chincoteague Pony Center; the Chincoteague Natural History Alliance; the Refuge Golf and Amusements Center; or just kicking back and relaxing.... There are three parks on the island where you can picnic. And I mentioned eating a little earlier in this paragraph - the home made ice cream on Chincoteague is to die for! The Island Creamery is known as having the best ice cream on the east coast of the United States; then there's Mueller's Ice Cream Parlor and Mister Whippy - all delicious!
If you don't mind taking a short trip off the island, you can visit the NASA Visitors Center, go hang gliding with Virginia Hang Gliding, take an air tour with Carter Crabbe aviation, visit the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke City, or the Barrier Island Center of the Eastern Shore in Machipongo. You can also go horseback riding at Queen Hive Farm in Assawoman.
I never get around to doing everything I want to when I'm there - I have to pick and choose. You will, too.
Assateague Island is a National Seashore in both states, and, in Virginia, Assateague is also the site of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR). This confuses a lot of people. Chincoteague ponies run wild on Assateague Island in both Virginia and Maryland - but each state has a unique way of dealing with the ponies. All of the different kinds of wildlife on Assateague mingle and breed together - except the ponies (usually). There is a fence separating the Maryland and Virginia sides of the island, but ponies do, on occasion, break through and mingle. I can definitely say the ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague Island are branded and micro-chipped. The Maryland ponies are not branded. I don't know if they are chipped or not. A person, or family, can legally camp on the Maryland side of Assateague with a permit. No over-nighters are allowed in Virginia.
Chincoteague Island is located within the Virginia state borders only. It's where people live, work and play. If you visit Chincoteague or Assateague for the annual festivals, you know that you usually stay on Chincoteague in a hotel, motel, rental, or bed and breakfast. There are all sorts of festivals on Chincoteague. The most widely known, thanks to Marguerite Henry's book and the 20th Century Fox movie, Misty) is Pony Penning. There are also a Blueberry Festival, Seafood Festival, Oyster Festival, Decoy Festival, Arts and Crafts Festival, Chili Festival, the Volunteer Firemens' Carnival and multiple bird-watching festivals, throughout the year.
If you visit the islands, be prepared for heat, humidity and mosquitoes in the summer. Storms come from the Atlantic regularly - northeasters and hurricanes. I can easily remember the five high tide lines on the wall paper in my Grandfather's kitchen. A seemingly huge storm can sweep across the island in a few hours and wash everything new again.
What is there to do on the islands?
Well, first and foremost, Assateague is a National Seashore. The beach is highly recommended. Get some sun, play in the surf, or walk the beach. There are many walks and trails available for hiking on Assateague in both states. Check in at the respective Visitor's Centers and see what is recommended, or is off limits, for the day. (Some beach areas may be closed due to bird and/or turtle nesting.) There is also a widely varied group of wildlife on Assateague - from over 400 different kinds of birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, to otters, muskrats, the Delmarva fox squirrel, water and grass snakes, turtles and terrapins, white tail deer, miniature elk (aka Sika deer), seals, ponies, frogs and toads, butterflies, raccoons, fox, groundhogs and rabbits, to name a few. Take a birding guide and/or a guide to wildlife tracks. Wild turkeys are in abundance and might startle you. With a fishing permit, you can surf fish from the beach. And you can tour the Assateague Lighthouse from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. during the summer.
Water activities? There is swimming and surfing, or one can take out a canoe, kayak, paddle board, or small motorboat. You can see all the sights on a guided tour; take a fishing boat into the bays or channels, or out into the ocean; you can fish, crab, clam and oyster - as long as it isn't on private or posted property. You can cook and eat what you catch - flounder is running well, I hear. On small cruises, one can take a hands-on ecological tour of the marshes and bays (with Captain Barry), tours around the island of Chincoteague with some local history thrown in, sunset cruises with champagne (with Captain Barry, and others), a guaranteed pony-sighting tour (with Captain Dan), sunrise and sunset cruises on the Miss Chincoteague, and just about anything you can imagine, or want, to do.
On Chincoteague, the choices seem endless - walking, biking or trolley tours; shopping; eating; reading; the library; the cinema; coffee houses; the Carnival on weekends in July; Second Saturday art shows; the Saturday Farmers Market; the Chincoteague Island Museum; the Chincoteague Bay Field Station; the Chincoteague Pony Center; the Chincoteague Natural History Alliance; the Refuge Golf and Amusements Center; or just kicking back and relaxing.... There are three parks on the island where you can picnic. And I mentioned eating a little earlier in this paragraph - the home made ice cream on Chincoteague is to die for! The Island Creamery is known as having the best ice cream on the east coast of the United States; then there's Mueller's Ice Cream Parlor and Mister Whippy - all delicious!
If you don't mind taking a short trip off the island, you can visit the NASA Visitors Center, go hang gliding with Virginia Hang Gliding, take an air tour with Carter Crabbe aviation, visit the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke City, or the Barrier Island Center of the Eastern Shore in Machipongo. You can also go horseback riding at Queen Hive Farm in Assawoman.
I never get around to doing everything I want to when I'm there - I have to pick and choose. You will, too.
Past Pony Penning Photos
1931
1928
1965
1938
Marguerite Henry and the real Misty
1968
1972
1947
1950s
1950s
1931 - on Mumford Street, not Mufford
Friday, July 8, 2016
A Sampling of Rocky Mountain Wildlife - Photos
Moose and calf
Black bear
Pika
Big horn sheep
Wolf
Elk
Mule deer
Bald eagle
Bison cow and calf (buffalo)
Marmot
Mountain lion (catamount, puma)
Shootings....
As I declared in my Second Amendment series, I do support the right for individual Americans to own and bear arms. But I do not support the right of people to go out and kill our law enforcement officers. I am NOT saying that law enforcement officers had the right to shoot the people they stopped in Louisiana and Minnesota - far from it - but when Americans (or any other populace) take the law into their own hands and kill for no reason, I consider that anarchy.
No one person has the right to decide who lives and who dies in America. The people, or person, who shot the law enforcement officers at a protest in Dallas committed a heinous crime. That same heinous crime was committed in Louisiana and Minnesota, by law officers. But I ask you, if your son or daughter was in law enforcement, in your home state, should he (or she) become a target of hatred because of the death of another person in another state? That is just stupid and ridiculous.
I grew up in Florida during the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. I grew up with segregation and, then, integration. I was, occasionally, threatened, by females of my own age, but with another color of skin. That initially frightened me - until I realized they were threatening me because they, too, were frightened. I became best friends with one of those girls in school. - No big deal.
But what I see in the United States today is very frightening to me. A few people who own a gun/weapon, are making a lot of noise by killing other people who don't deserve to die, and that, in turn, makes it difficult for those people who own a gun/weapon (who keep it safely and fire it legally) to say they are a gun owner without an immediate backlash. .... I know that there are people who rob banking institutions in America. I know that some type of bank robbery occurs daily in America. Bank robberies hurt everyone involved with banking. However, there are very few people shot to death during a bank robbery on a daily basis. .... This is not true when it comes to gun violence in the United States.
If I lived in another country, I believe I'd be afraid to visit the USA on a vacation, to see the sights. One can read every day about someone being killed or wounded by an American in our country. And the vast majority of those killed and/or wounded are innocent bystanders. The numbers can be found, easily; and they are overwhelming. They scare me, and I'm a life-long citizen.
Death is a terribly final thing. We, as American citizens, must put an end to our country's increasing gun violence. Soon, there will be only one person left standing, and they will have in their hand, a smoking gun.....
No one person has the right to decide who lives and who dies in America. The people, or person, who shot the law enforcement officers at a protest in Dallas committed a heinous crime. That same heinous crime was committed in Louisiana and Minnesota, by law officers. But I ask you, if your son or daughter was in law enforcement, in your home state, should he (or she) become a target of hatred because of the death of another person in another state? That is just stupid and ridiculous.
I grew up in Florida during the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. I grew up with segregation and, then, integration. I was, occasionally, threatened, by females of my own age, but with another color of skin. That initially frightened me - until I realized they were threatening me because they, too, were frightened. I became best friends with one of those girls in school. - No big deal.
But what I see in the United States today is very frightening to me. A few people who own a gun/weapon, are making a lot of noise by killing other people who don't deserve to die, and that, in turn, makes it difficult for those people who own a gun/weapon (who keep it safely and fire it legally) to say they are a gun owner without an immediate backlash. .... I know that there are people who rob banking institutions in America. I know that some type of bank robbery occurs daily in America. Bank robberies hurt everyone involved with banking. However, there are very few people shot to death during a bank robbery on a daily basis. .... This is not true when it comes to gun violence in the United States.
If I lived in another country, I believe I'd be afraid to visit the USA on a vacation, to see the sights. One can read every day about someone being killed or wounded by an American in our country. And the vast majority of those killed and/or wounded are innocent bystanders. The numbers can be found, easily; and they are overwhelming. They scare me, and I'm a life-long citizen.
Death is a terribly final thing. We, as American citizens, must put an end to our country's increasing gun violence. Soon, there will be only one person left standing, and they will have in their hand, a smoking gun.....
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Boulder County, Colorado - Photos
Brainard Lake, elevation 10,300 feet above sea level
West end of the Crater Lake camping area
Along Beaver Creek Trail
Mountain sunrise
Lake Isabelle view
Moose at Crater Lake
Reflecting pool above Gourd Lake
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Various Photos
Moose in Boulder County, Colorado
Looking up at the talons of a great horned owl
Blooms of a horse chestnut
Squirrel
Barn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
Wiltshire Vintage Art Show - jump jockey and mount
View from Pole Hill, Larimer County, Colorado
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