Riding the Burn

We're coming up on the one year anniversary of the fire.  Riding in the burn area is interesting, but certainly not pretty.  I sure wouldn't ride here on a windy day, although I hear they recently removed the dead trees along this particular trail. 

Be fire wise and safe this summer.

We've received quite a bit of welcome rain this Spring.  Hopefully that will bring the fire danger...and hay prices...down, down, down.

Post Fire Flooding

Every time it rains, news crews come out and film at this location, where it floods across the street and then leaves a bunch of black sludge behind.  At times the flooding has been up to the top of the fence.  This homeowner lost their house in the fire and now they have to deal with this mess too.

Where does all this goo come from?  Here's the answer from last Monday's storm.



More storms are on the way.

Happy 4th - Have Fun - Be Wise

Happy 4th of July!

Have Fun!

Please Be Fire Wise!

Black Forest Fire Station*

2012 Waldo Canyon Fire

• 347 homes destroyed
• 2 people killed
• Human caused - no other details released to the public

2013 Black Forest Fire

• 512 homes destroyed
• 2 people killed
• Human caused - likely accidental - no other details released to the public

Please be careful.  

 Be wise;  Be safe. 

 Enjoy this great holiday!

* Somebody is missing next to the fire danger sign.  There is usually a bear on the sign.  But some dude from out of state, after viewing national news of the fire, called the firehouse and complained about the bear.  He spewed a bunch of legalese claiming the bear looked too much like the licensed image of "Smokey the Bear".   So the bear was taken down.  Letters have been written to Washington, and the Black Forest bear is expected to return to his place on the sign.  

Aftermath of the Fire

"We Heart Black Forest"

The Enduring Spirit of Forest Dwellers

 Hundreds of Chimneys
Stand Sentinel Over Charred Homesites
 

Toasted and Totaled

One of My Favorite Riding Trails

Intact, But Not So Pretty
 

Trail Closed

Hot Spots Still Burning

Fire Secretly Smolders in Roots and Tree Trunks

Until it is Blanketed in Snow

Ironic

Fire Mitigation Completed in 2012 Too

Recovery Has Started
 

Cleanup Has Begun
 

Forest Forever Changed

 

Life Goes On

Misty's Monday Muse - What a Week!

Thank-you Everyone for your good thoughts and wishes.

We are home safe and sound and all is well.

It was a crazy, busy, exhausting week; mostly for Mr. and Mrs. OnceUpon.  Lyra, Lola, and I just went with the flow.  As long as we had hay under our noses, we were content.  But you know what they say, "There's no place like home."  We are glad to be back in our barn, but very appreciative of those who gave us shelter, particularly Elbert County and Moondance Ranch.

Tuesday June 11, 2013 - Fire!

Chinook Carries Water Bucket

Chinooks Refilling at Pond

Tuesday Night Glow

Amazingly, the gas station, convenience store and bbq restaurant, feed store, community center, auto shop, knitting store and churches in the heart of Black Forest were saved.  But it was a very close call.

Wednesday June 12, 2013 - Winds shifted, fire on the move, and we received the reverse 911 call to evacuate.

Lyra, Lola, and I settle in at the evacuation center at the Elbert Country Fairgrounds. 

Rump Tag to Match Me with MyLady

Meeting the Neighbors

Lola & Lyra Passing Time

Thursday June 13, 2013 - Elbert County reports "Noah's Ark at the Fairgrounds"
 "Elbert County Fairgrounds remains open with space for evacuees and animals. Total count of animals currently at the Fairgrounds is as follows: 28 chickens; 216 horses, 5 drafts/14 foals; 5 cows, 2 calves; 27 Alpacas; 14 dogs; 25 cats; 22 goats; 1 ducks; 4 burros; 2 guinea pigs; 3 sheep; 19 miniature horses; 19 mules; 8 lamas; 3 stallions; 1 yak."

Then a 2nd yak showed up and MyLady added two parrots to the mix.  Newport and Tessa were miserable standing flat footed in their pet carriers in the motel, so the nice volunteers cut up tree branches and put them in rabbit cages so the birds could perch in the small animal building.

Herd O' Mules

Friendly Mules

Herd O' Horses from Scout Camp

Vonda & Bella
The Happiest Evacuees

In Case of Emergency

Phone Numbers Help Reunite Lost Horses with Owners

Security

Lots of  Security

Our Home Away from Home

Yak Evac

More Evacuees Happily Munching on Hay

Saturday June 15, 2013 - Elbert County residents began returning home and Elbert County urged the rest of us to make other arrangements.  Stressful!  But thanks to Moondance Ranch, we upgraded to more comfortable lodging until we returned home on Monday June 17th.

What a week!

What Makes a Cowboy Cry?

We are back home and all is well.  I'm exhausted.  I'm going to bed and may not get up until Thursday.

Thank you, Moondance Ranch, for finding shelter in a pinch for my girls.

The loss in Black Forest is so sad.  Not all horses made it back to their owners, but here is one very sweet reunion.

Black Forest Fire Strike Team in Action

This is fascinating.  I didn't know firefighters will wait for the fire to come to them; makes sense after watching the video.  They are so calm and business like as they go about their job.  Real Pros!

Black Forest Structure Protection from City of Colorado Springs on Vimeo.

Safe and Sound

Thank-you, blogger friends, for your good wishes.

We are safe and comfortable while we wait out this situation.  So far, our house is untouched.

Good news:  KRDO TV is reporting rain over the fire now. Hopefully it will pour and not just spit and blow wind.

Misty and the minis are getting a lot of attention at the fairgrounds.  There are many beautiful horses there, including 14 mommas and their adorable foals.   This was the count early Thursday:

"Elbert County Fairgrounds remains open with space for evacuees and animals. Total count of animals currently at the Fairgrounds is as follows: 28 chickens; 216 horses, 5 drafts/14 foals; 5 cows, 2 calves; 27 Alpacas; 14 dogs; 25 cats; 22 goats; 1 ducks; 4 burros; 2 guinea pigs; 3 sheep; 19 miniature horses; 19 mules; 8 lamas; 3 stallions; 1 yak."

They have about 148 people there too, camping or staying in the Red Cross shelter.

I'll share some pictures when I get home (not sure when).  In my haste to leave, I grabbed my iPod cord instead of my camera cord.  :-)   I forgot socks too, but remembered my toothbrush.  Minor details, but this has certainly been a learning experience unlike anything else I've been through.

Thank-you firefighters!  You're the best!

Fire: Too Close For Comfort

The horse trailer is hitched.

The horses are haltered and ready to go.

We are not in immediate danger.

But it is too close for comfort!

The evacuation area is growing.

It will depend on the wind.
 

Hot, dry, and windy in Colorado.

Here we go again.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

We are hot and parched here, reaching record high temperatures and in drought conditions.

Despite the heat, Misty and I participated in a trail riding clinic yesterday.  We practiced some basic riding exercises in the indoor arena, like turning on the forehand and on the haunches, backing, and side passing.  Then we rode out into a cow pasture where we worked on skills such as opening a gate, riding up and down hills, backing up a hill, and trotting on natural ground. We didn't do very well at the gate. Misty was scared of it, so the clinician had me just practice walking her up to it, positioning her parallel to the gate, rest and praise her, and then I would push the gate wide open and ride her through it.  It was a start.  We did great up and down hills and trotting in the prairie grass.  

It was so hot during the clinic, that I couldn't make it back to the ranch's barn before getting too dizzy to trust myself to stay seated upright in my saddle.  I had to dismount and walk Misty back to the barn.  I tied her inside and got a cold, wet paper towel to wipe my face and neck.  That helped.  I was hit with a very bad respiratory virus 5 weeks ago and I'm still trying to shake it, while continuing to work my day job and getting out on trail rides whenever I can.   Just when I think I've turned the corner and am feeling better, I push myself a little too hard trail riding and am exhausted for days afterwards. That's why I haven't been online much lately.

While riding in the pasture at yesterday's clinic, one of the riders pointed out a big plume of billowing smoke way off in the distance.  It wasn't there at the beginning of the clinic.  A new forest fire had started in the mountains west of Colorado Springs.

KRDO TV Viewer Photos

 Click on the picture to see more photos from KRDO TV in Colorado Springs.

The fire is zero percent contained and spreading fast.  Mandatory evacuations are in effect and the fire is now threatening homes.  Penrose Equestrian Center is accepting horses evacuated from the fire area.   They are sending out a plea for donations of hay, fans, and extension cords.

The cause of this fire is unknown.  No lightning was in the area when it started.  There were upwards of 20 arson fires set in that county last week. It's too soon and too dangerous for investigators to begin their work.

 Record high temperatures are forecasted again today; humidity is low, and afternoon winds are expected to pick and gust in multiple directions.  Not good!  And to add insult to injury, there is a possibility of afternoon Thunderstorms that will produce lightning, but little, if any, precipitation.  Not good at all.

We are nowhere near the fire, but can see and smell the smoke.  I can't imagine what the firefighters are enduring, working such a dangerous and physical job in extreme summer heat.  The news reported this morning that firefighters were as close as 20 yards away from flames rising 100 feet tall.  And they haven't had much time off in the last couple of weeks as they have been battling other fires in the region.

 Is your state on fire?  Check the InciWeb site for information on fires around the country.