Welcome Sight - UPDATED

 Waking up to falling snow. The weather guessers got it right. Should help put down our wildfires.

I have a lab who hates snow, rain, and water. What, anyone expect WSF's world to be normal?

UPDATE

Still snowing and expected to snow through the night. Light snow, not heavy or wet. News reports are of the wildfires being slowed down but a lot more snow will be need to extinguish them for the winter.

Tiresome

 The fires continue. Some snow is foretasted this weekend.

Can't remember a worse season. Other states are having a worse one.

Climate change to blame? Hell no. Tree huggers filing frivolous lawsuits blocking known and proven forest practices are to blame. They need to visit Germany and see how forests can be managed, IMO.

This "new" blogger sucks. What I type and what prints often differs.

Thankful

 

Not forecasted, but most welcome, is this drizzle that is also falling on the Cameron Peak fire (now 200,000 acres). It won’t put it out but will slow it down.

A younger cousin recently asked me if I remember wildfires, like the recent ones we have, when I was young. My answer was, yes, but they didn’t rage on week after week.

Many people have moved to Colorado, most of the tree hugger inclination, and have settled in the foothills. While I take no pleasure in them losing their homes and possessions, I do hope this year will have them pulling their collective heads out of their asses.

The two easiest, and most cost effective, ways to reduce the size of wildfires is grazing cattle in the National Forests in the summer and logging (removing) dead trees.

Grazing? Yeah, that is what Bison did. Sorry if you’re excellent outdoor hike requires you to avoid cow pies. Yeah, the usual loggers removing dead trees are at the bottom of the socio-economic scale and are an unsavory looking group. Get over it.

Smoke and Ash

After two wonderful days of sun and blue skies, the smoke and ash is back until the next wind shift.

The ten day forecast is for cooler temperatures but little to no precipitation.

The smoke makes my sinuses kick my ass but I remind myself my home and possessions are not threatened. Imagine the stress of those who are, and have been for weeks.

The dry conditions in Northwest Colorado are causing ranchers to severely cull their herds. Shipping the culls is a huge problem as the fires have caused many roads to be closed. About the only reliable way to markets in via Loma, aka Douglass Pass between Rangley, CO and Loma, CO (near Grand Junction) to Interstate 70.  Longer distances mean higher costs.

There are just a few Colorado mountain passes that cause my reproductive tackle to shrivel. Among them is the South side of Loma Pass.

Some advice. If you like beef, and have a freezer, fill it now! After the culls get processed, the beef supply will drop. This situation isn’t unique to Northwest Colorado. The dry summer has hit the entire region. 

Severe Clear

 

After a Sunday of high winds, this morning is calm. Because of the numerous forest fires, smoke has been our day to day reality.

Good to see the mountains gleaming, and good to see they got at least a dusting of snow.

Looking 300° (yes, the tree is in the way) there seems to be haze up DRJIM's way.

http://every-blade-of-grass.blogspot.com/2020/10/crazy-windy-today.html

One lone lenticular cloud is to the North of Longs Peak so not much of a mountain wave, yet.

My sinuses indicate there is still smoke in the air but I will take this morning (not that I have a choice)!

Smoke is Back

 Sunup this morning. Cloudless sky. Last weeks snow helped but the Cameron Peak fire is only partially contained.

At least 53 structures have been lost. One was a 150 year old homestead.

No relief in sight, weather wise. Oh well. at least we aren't in California.

Ancestry.com sent an update/enhanced report.

First time Iceland has shown up. Does show I'm the whitest white boy you are likely to meet, for what that is worth. It does explain my ease in getting sunburned.

Carp, bitch, moan. I really, really dislike this new Blogger!

No Smoke

Out walking the dog this evening. No smoke and mainly clear skies.

A friend in Steamboat Springs says the Middle Fork fire is still putting up visible smoke. That fire is in a wilderness area. Use Google Earth and enter Luna Lake, CO or Mt Zirkel.

My dog flirting with another dog. 

The ladies in this building encourage his behavior and he is always eager to please anytime I turn loose of his leash.

More Smoke II

1300 and people have their headlights on. A steady stream of ash and burnt needles keeps falling.

The color of the picture is accurate.

More Smoke

A wind shift during the night shifted most of the smoke to the north but we are still on the fringe. The morning walk wasn't too bad but smoke smell was still present. 

The picture was taken about one hour after sunrise.

Hoping for rain/snow tonight. Guess it will be prudent to fetch my snow rake from the storage shed.

Colorado Wildfires

Colorado now has four major uncontained wildfires and many more small ones that are contained. 

The header picture, taken off a Facebook page, is looking west towards the east mouth of Glenwood canyon. The Grizzly Creek fire is burning on both sides and has closed I-70 and the Union Pacific railroad lines.

Yesterday, a much smaller brush fire temporarily closed I-25 at the Colorado/Wyoming line. That fire was quickly contained.

Closer to home the Cameron Peak fire, 45 miles WWN of Ft Collins has CO 14 over Cameron Pass closed. While most of these fires are caused by dry lightning, that one was human caused.

No clouds this morning for our walk and normally the mountains would be shining in the distance.

 All the smoke is causing problems for those with breathing problems. My vehicles are getting a dusting of ash everyday.

All of this is “normal” for a semi-arid state like Colorado. The climate change bloodhounds are howling. I did find something more balanced with some useful information and observations. A fairly long read.

 https://www.cpr.org/2020/08/20/colorado-wildfires-climate-change-drought-snowpack/

Given the liberal slant of the organization, almost good journalism, at least by today’s standards.

This year most of the action is in the northern part of the state. Given the rugged terrain and remoteness, most fires are being fought from the air.

The weather forecast is for several more days of hot and dry.

Wildfire Season IV

The smoke plume from the fire WNW of Ft Collins has shifted with the winds, now flowing SSE. 

The same shift has carried the smoke from the other fires away from us and towards Colorado Springs and Pueblo.

Another view of the statue in Wildfire Season III.

Per my sister, the city allocates 1% of all projects to public art.

Wildfire Season III

Out for our evening walk tonight and the plume is mainly from the Chambers Lake fire. A good analysis of that fire:

http://every-blade-of-grass.blogspot.com/2020/08/shingles-vaccination-side-effects-and.html

In the second picture on the far left are twin peaks. The tallest, Longs Peak at 14,259’ is the 13^th highest of Colorado’s 48 14 footers and the second highest of the Front Range 14’s (Mt Evans, Longs Peak, Pikes Peak).

Everyone is hoping for rain. The way 2020 is going, when we do get rain, it will likely be at flooding levels.

Wildfire Season II

Another fire is burning about 85 miles WNW of me and on the east side of the Front Range. Again, in rugged terrain, so mainly aerial fighting.

Probable cause of this fire is lightning but it is near Chambers Lake and campgrounds.

Sunset last night was spectacular. The orange colors were intense. Sorry, didn’t take pictures.

These pictures are once again looking towards the Front Range just after sunrise.

The impact of all these fires on traffic is best shown from the States’ information page.

https://www.cotrip.org/travelAlerts.htm#?roadId=

Wildfire Season

It was crystal clear morning today for our morning walk.  Normally, the Front Range would be gleaming. Smoke from two uncontained wildfires has drifted our way.

To date, the wildfire count is 15 contained and 2 uncontained. The first, Pine Gulch, is North of Grand Junction in about as remote area to be found in Colorado. The second is the Grizzly Creek fire, burning on both sides of Glenwood Canyon which is causing intermittent closures of Interstate 70 and the Union Pacific railroad.

The Colorado River has formed Glenwood Canyon and Grizzly Creek is a tributary near the East end. For those who have driven I-70, you may have used the Grizzly Creek rest stop. You may also remember the walls of Glenwood Canyon are nearly sheer and the canyon is deep.

There are just two feasible detours for large vehicles and flatland drivers. One is US 50 and the other US 40. Your GPS may show some different routes and there are always idiots who attempt them. Most are summertime only and some restricted to vehicles fewer than 32’. Tow truck drivers are busy.

Due to the terrain, both uncontained fires can best be fought by air drops as the terrain is road less. A skilled operator might get an ATV or off road motorcycle into the areas.

                                                                     

 The seasonal professional fire fighter crews have their work cut out for them on these two. Hope all are safe; it is damned dangerous work.

Thankful for What I Don't Have

Walking out on the deck this morning, the smoke in the air made my  eyes water. For a moment, I was irritated; this has been going on for days in Colorado. Missed clear views of the "supermoon" because of the haze. Then, it struck me that people are seeing their whole world burning, and I'm a long ways from any of the fires.

During the Korean War, we were living in a spot on the map, in the Rocky Mountain foothills, Pinecliff, CO. The Denver and Rio Grande main line ran through the town. To meet the demand for rail transport, the railroad had brought back many steam engines. You would see three or even four steam locomotives laboring up the 3% grade and blowing black clouds of smoke and cinders. Even with their smokestack screen, burning cinders would start small fires alongside the right of way.

There was no fire department, or equipment of any kind. The fifty or so local residents, men, women, and children, would put out the fires the best they could with shovels and buckets of water from the creek. I was in the second grade then. The railroad maintenance crews were busy fighting fires in the roadless canyons. We had little choice. It was a dry, hot summer. If the small fires got going, we would lose our homes, cars, pets, everything.

House fires were a dreaded event then, if not now. There was little in the way of fire fighting equipment. I have a very clear memory of classmates standing in the snow in pajamas watching their house go up in flames. Another memory is of our detached garage burning to the ground with all my father's tools inside. Only a garden hose spraying water on the wall of our house closest to the garage kept it from catching fire.

So, this morning I'm very grateful for what I don't have; a wildfire outside my door. Please say a prayer for those who have lost, or are losing everything. Another prayer for the fire fighters.

You don't need to join me in cursing all the fucking tourists in their RVs clogging up the roads and watching the spectacle. Go home, damn you!

Seldom do we escape damage free. These are from last nights violent thunderstorm.

Colorado Wildfires

The air is filled with smoke all across the area. This was yesterday, about 350 miles Northeast of the Front Range fires.

As anyone who has flown into Denver on a hot summer afternoon knows, there is a lot of thermal convection.  That, combined with an abundance of condensation nuclei,  is causing afternoon/evening rains.
Helps air quality East of I-25 but little rain falls in the fire, and fire prone, areas.

Traditional weather patterns bring the seasonal "Albuquerque Low" latter in the summer, which brings moist air from the Southeast. The air is uplifted by the mountains, stalls, and stationary thunderstorms form.   Sometimes this causes huge floods.

Tis a privilege to live in Colorado. The privilege isn't risk free.

As usual, the USDA Forest Service, and the Obama Administration, are questioned.

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/06/27/u-s-forest-service-firefighting-fleet-depleted-after-contract-cancellation/

My negative views about one of the worse managed government agencies, the Forest Service, may be a future blog subject. Will need duct tape available, and EMTs on call,  in case I stroke out if I write it.