At one time or another, most people have wished that they had more imagination. But recall the old proverb about 'being careful what you wish for.' Too much imagination can actually kill you if it creates panic in the water, and causes you to drown. In other situations it can at least cause you to worry more than you should.
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South Fork, CO. It was the smell that I noticed first. Oh sure, we've all smelled smoke before, but wasn't the forest fire supposed to be over 20 miles to the west -- off in some useless, dreary Wilderness Area that nobody really cares about?
Doesn't a sudden change in odor imply that danger is close? And when the edge of the fire-storm-cloud is sharp, doesn't that imply that the danger is close? Otherwise, it would be smeared out, wouldn't it?
And why did I feel heat against my body, when there was darkness at noon?
It seemed as though the heat was coming from just over the ridge to the west, the direction of the conflagration. Had the extreme winds kicked it up? Why hadn't the town panicked?
I drove around some, for better views. But in fact the most dreadful view was right at camp. There the ridge blocked the view partially; and so the mind fears an infinite Wrath on the west side, the fire side, of the ridge.
My red-tinted sunglasses were also adding to this exaggeration. This was a new experience for me. I over-reacted on the side of caution: I got the trailer ready to hitch up and move in 30 seconds.
The sharp edge of fire-storm-cloud was actually over 20 miles away, but the obstructing-ridge made it appear to be just on the other side.
The heat that I thought that I felt from the fire was from the sun. Perhaps the longer wavelengths still came through smoke pretty well, and half-a-sun at 8000 feet still feels warm.
Just a bit east of the cloud stood the local Colorado postcard, with perfectly clean air. It had been mercifully passed over.
In the evening the wind died down. There was less to see in the sky. I popped a movie into the DVD machine: Cecil B. DeMille's "Ten Commandments."
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South Fork, CO. It was the smell that I noticed first. Oh sure, we've all smelled smoke before, but wasn't the forest fire supposed to be over 20 miles to the west -- off in some useless, dreary Wilderness Area that nobody really cares about?
Doesn't a sudden change in odor imply that danger is close? And when the edge of the fire-storm-cloud is sharp, doesn't that imply that the danger is close? Otherwise, it would be smeared out, wouldn't it?
And why did I feel heat against my body, when there was darkness at noon?
It seemed as though the heat was coming from just over the ridge to the west, the direction of the conflagration. Had the extreme winds kicked it up? Why hadn't the town panicked?
I drove around some, for better views. But in fact the most dreadful view was right at camp. There the ridge blocked the view partially; and so the mind fears an infinite Wrath on the west side, the fire side, of the ridge.
My red-tinted sunglasses were also adding to this exaggeration. This was a new experience for me. I over-reacted on the side of caution: I got the trailer ready to hitch up and move in 30 seconds.
The sharp edge of fire-storm-cloud was actually over 20 miles away, but the obstructing-ridge made it appear to be just on the other side.
The heat that I thought that I felt from the fire was from the sun. Perhaps the longer wavelengths still came through smoke pretty well, and half-a-sun at 8000 feet still feels warm.
Just a bit east of the cloud stood the local Colorado postcard, with perfectly clean air. It had been mercifully passed over.
In the evening the wind died down. There was less to see in the sky. I popped a movie into the DVD machine: Cecil B. DeMille's "Ten Commandments."
Comments
Box Canyon Mark
I would imagine that an experience like this is what precipitated early man to experience God in the first place.
I agree that "the wrath" of mother nature is probably why God, the Father was written to be such a nasty guy.
That we have imaginations is an interesting phenomena. Certainly, the predecessor of all inventions but also the origin of all neurosis as well.
Your photos are magnificent. Each one amply illustrates your words. Just out of curiosity, did you take them WHILE you were experiencing the danger or did you go back later, perhaps as you were preparing this posting?
Great punch line as well.
Fire is another matter altogether... all it takes is one ember from the existing fire twenty miles away to start another fire in your back yard. I hope you have two exit strategies in place!
Box Canyon Mark