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June 20, 2006
When I went to town today I spotted a tendrill of smoke to the south at 8am.
When I returned at noon it was blowing up pretty well.
At 2pm fire crews arrived telling us to leave. We went into evacuation mode. I pushed a fire line behind all the houses, Nate gathered horses, Maggie gathered important stuff from the house. Our guests Earl, Alton and Walter moved vehicles out to the main road. At 5pm it was 1/2 mile away and suddenly moved a bit east.
Right now we are ok, if the winds don't crank up we will still be here...if they do... well we probabaly won't.
We have two fire engines and ten fighters parked in front of my house tonight.
June 21, 2006
Bear Fire update
yesterday crews were here at the ranch all day. Usuing our tractor and backhoe we built two more fire breaks on the south end of the H.Q. The main fire slowed and spread sideways taking the push out of the huge fire ball it had been the day before. It split up near N Bar Park, half the fire going east coming right down to the horse pastures next to the house. It now burns throught Negrito Pasture, south half of 7HL, and most of Loco Pasture is burning. The other half of the fire is in Bearwallow mountain burning north over corner mountain.
All our horses are safe, we have some in the north half of 7HL and some in Pitchfork with all the cattle. These areas are supposed to stay clear of the fire.
We moved all the working horses from the H.Q. and took them to neighbors.
The mares, foals and old horses are here near the barn and pretty safe.
At this time we have 6 engines guarding the H.Q. about 60 firefighters.
You all know I always cuss the Forest Service, but I have never cussed the firefighters.
I am amazed at the help we have gotten, I know for a fact that every dollar I've ever payed in taxes was returned to me two fold yesterday. Seeing these folks come in yesterday was like having the calvary arrive. Maggie has been cooking all day feeding crews from all over the country, Idaho, California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona.
The west half of the main fire still has not past the ranch. If the winds stay with us it should pass quietly as the east fire did yesterday.
I have sent a few pics to Russ and Andrea..hopefully they will be able to get them up.
Click on any image for a full size picture (large files)
Click on any image for a full size picture (large files)
6/22/06
Thursday
The fire still rages. It is now at about 40,000 acres and only 5% contained. The 5% is on the east side out in the grasslands of 7HL pasture. To me the most important area, that is where all my cattle are. The rest of the fire is pretty much doing what ever it wants. All day yesterday we had a breeze from the NW, blowing into the fires advance slowing it but also spreading it farther to the west up the slope of Bearwallow and Corner mountain into the black timber.
The Tac team yesterday told me they were going to hold the fire up there along some logging roads and ridges. Good Luck! I thought to myself. There is no way they are going to do that. Black timber stacked two feet deep on the forest floor, Fir and Spruce crowed so thick you can hardly walk in there. There is no way they are going to do it. A total waste of money and resources.
We have had crews here at the H.Q. They are state of New Mexico crews watching us since it’s private land. The head guy and I have spent a lot of time chatting the last few long days and today he called the head of the new Tac team from California and had him chat with me. I told him they should let the fire burn across the entire slope of Corner mountain and Bearwallow mountain. My main point being that entire area has been a wreak waiting to happen for years, if they were able to stop the advance they will just be back out here again in a few years watching the rest of the slope burn. It all needs to be dealt with now. I suggested they back burn on the east side of Rocker canyon and let the fire go all the way across the slope to road #141, the main road to Reserve. He seemed like he thought it might be a good plan. We’ll see if they take local advice or go with the stupid plan they made up while looking at topo maps on the drive out from California.
The chatter on the radio from the front line crews is not good. They are back tracking all the time from their lines, making new lines and then moving back again. They just need to get the hell out of the way of it and stop it at the paved road.
Sorry I’m a bit sleep deprived and venting here.
Smoke fills the valley, visibility is from 1/4 mile to several hundred feet. We can’t see any flames today but we can hear the roar of the fire more than before. It is only 1/4 mile from our fire lines now. It broke through about 9am and made a run into the H.Q. back near the Killing Fields where we play paintball. The crews were on it fast and got it stopped but it showed that we were still not out of the woods yet.
This afternoon the wind shifted back to a gusty out of the SW. so things are picking up again. The fire has built it’s own thunderhead over it’s crown. There is thunder and lightning in it, that is as mean as this kinda monster can get. These hot shot crews are really scared of it. I hear from a distance it’s an amazing sight. A friend in Winston called, about 80 miles away and she said it was a spectacular from her ranch.
There is never a time that you don’t see or hear a chopper but all the Slurry bombers are in Az. saving the million dollars houses around Sedona.
The ranch crew has been kinda bored.
Tuesday was busy, moving horses and gear, and Earl helped me on the fire line by driving the backhoe using the bucket to push the line while I was on the tractor. But yesterday was just a stand around day on ember patrol. We were paying close attention to the hay barn area. There were lots of embers and ash coming in but none seemed to be hot. Some of it is really big, half dollar size chunks of black shinny hard stuff. It must really be hot where it comes from to force it up high enough that it travels and cools before it comes down.
This morning the crew went and got our horses from Don and Jeannies. Then they headed east towards camp picking up a few strays that have come west after fire crews left gates open. The plan is they will stay out at camp above Steve tank and tomorrow ride into Canyon Creek getting more bulls. There is a chance this fire might go into Canyon Creek out on the south east side. We were assured that the NE perimeter of the fire is secure and it is safe for them to be in camp.
6/23/06 Friday
It was so thick with smoke this morning you could see only a few hundred feet and it felt as if your lungs were burning not to mention the pain in the eyes.
I rode the east perimeter of the fire checking out where was burned and what was left. From what I could see 2/3 of the ranch has burned. The only pastures that didn’t are, North trap, Pitchfork, North 1/3 of 7HL and the west half of Canyon Creek. When they tell you 40,000 acres have burned it’s not taking into account all the country burned by the backfires. They have burned just about as much as the fire it’s self.
They hit the fire hard with aircraft again, getting a couple bombers today. The worst areas are just around Snow Lake in the Wilderness and of course up on the mountain. The aircraft slowed the fire but not as much as some short rain we had. It rained up on top of the mountain right over the hottest area, with help from mother nature they may get a handle on it. There was a brigade of bulldozers working the fire today. Pushing huge firelines through the forest. I worry they won’t repair and treat them as they usually forget to do and we wil end up with one huge eroding mess.
Nate, Walter, Alton and Earl rode the slopes pushing cattle back towards Pit tank and Fence tank. Right back where we were pushing them out of last month. All the water has dried up, Doubtful, White, Steve and Hay all dry as a bone now. At least we got a month of heavy grazing in that country that was so over grown and thick with grass.
After drifting cattle they came home about 6pm. A different kinda week.
6/24/06 Saturday
All quiet on the eastern front of the Bear fire. Woke again to choking smoke. As we were drinking coffee Maggie commented that she couldn’t even see the barn from the house. Hell I could hardly see the other side of the kitchen. I have a constant headache and all of our eyes are red and watering. It is a mess.
I took the crew back to albq. today after being assured by fire folks the danger on our side was over. I have some errands to run and have to go to Sante Fe to pick up some windows for Canyon Creek cabin.
We had to cancel the guests for next week. 1,200 square miles of the forest are closed so we can’t bring any one in. It wouldn’t have been a great time to be hear what with all the smoke.
Maggie called me at about 2pm and announced that it was raining, and raining hard with hail. That will do more than anything to bring this fire down and also hopefully clean the air a bit faster and put out all the smoldering stumps and trees around our house.
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