Gang:
All is quiet early this Wednesday morning along a smoke-filled Rock Creek, but there is not one among us (residents and fire fighters alike) who don't believe that today will be a day of reckoning when the Sawmill Gulch fire shows her true colors and lets us know if it is going to be the first fire in tens of decades to enter Rock Creek Valley or whether, like the Gratton Gulch fire of 2003, she is going to stay away and let this pristine valley be at one with itself.
Awakening this morning to the pungent smell of smoke, it was very much like arising amidst a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel: The air was filled with smoke, it was eerily quiet yet a random bird could be heard chirping here and there, and the air was so filled with anticipatory tension that you could literally hear a pine needle drop. The story line has been set, the characters defined, but, in the finest Doylian style, the plot had yet to reveal itself.
Today's weather forecast is for a(nother) day in the 90's with afternoon winds. It is the latter that creates chaos here and whips the fires into the frenzy that they enjoyed last evening (I send pics to our Blogmaster to post for your viewing enjoyment--far better to see those from afar, I might add). Also, tonite @ 7 p.m. there is a neighborhood meeting with the Incident Command Team where there battle plan for this, indeed, battle will be discussed and revealed. Last evening, at 10 p.m., there was an all-hands meeting of the fire crews (thus, no firefighter was along the Creek all evening) for them to get informed; we will know as much as they now know soon; in the interim, it is out to keep the perimeter of the property wet and think good thoughts of the blessings that we have in simply being here.
Rock Creek Road remains closed to all but residents, many of whom (including the folks at the Blue Damsel) have simply left, confusingly leaving their doors open for anyone to enter without a note or word for anyone to know their intentions. It is times like this that become interesting from an analytical perspective, for it provides an opportunity to peer inside what otherwise is usually effectively covered by its own smoke.
Best to all from Rock Creek; I will post more as the day and as time permits.
RCR
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