When we turned in last night the last report on the Royal Gorge Fire was that it had consumed in excess of 300 acres. This morning by 9:30 AM it had consumed over 3,000 acres. US 50 around Cañon, CO is still closed in both directions. By 11 AM the announcement was that it was 20% contained though another fire had broken out near Fort Collins and was heading northward. Jeepers, we were planning to drive past Fort Collins on our way to Gillettee, WY.
Well, how about talking about something different? How about food?
Since our trip through Royal Gorge on the train was cancelled, the schedule for the FCOC rally was changed. This morning we had Breakfast in a Bag. Neither one of us had heard of it so it was an experience. Basically, eggs are cracked and beaten then placed in a freezer bag. Then, the ingredients you want, are added. That included onion, tomato, mushroom, green pepper. bacon bits, and pre-cooked sausage. The bag is placed in boiling water for about 12 minutes (turkey roasters were used). It turned out to be pretty good.
Breakfast in a Bag -- a better name might be boiled omelette.
Later in the day, Byron went to the grocery on the extreme south side of Colorado Springs. The purpose of the trip was to get ingredients for Thursday’s potluck meal. Approaching the city limits the road makes a curve while going down a large hill. At that point he saw the billowing smoke from the Black Forest Fire which is north of Colorado Springs east of the Air Force Academy.
Difficult to see in the photo is the billows of smoke 12 miles in the
distance on the horizon. The great plumes of smoke extend from
the left of the photo to the right. Since 2 PM on Tuesday the
fire spread toward the east and then turned toward the north
before turning back on itself and burning homes and trees
that were’t burned in the first 12 hours.
This is the view from Colorado Springs looking toward the northeast.
The photo was taken Tuesday afternoon two hours after the fire
broke out. The white smoke results from trees and grasses burning.
The dark smoke is from asphalt roofs and other home
construction materials. Thus far, nearly 100 homes
have been destroyed and the fire has yet to be contained.
Dense smoke from the fire has drifted as far north as
Castle Rock and southern Denver.
As he returned from the grocery he could see the smoke from the Royal Gorge Fire in the distance. As of Wednesday night, the Royal Gorge Fire was 50% contained. Twenty building within the Park were destroyed as was the cable over the Gorge on which the cable car runs. Twelve wooden planks on the foot bridge across the Gorge were also damaged.
Byron took this photo before returning to the motorhome. It shows how large the mountains are immediately behind the RV resort as well as the many trees in which the resort is nestled. One mile from the resort on the south side of the road is a two-mile stretch of road where a fire had occurred four years ago.
Can you spot our motorhome? It is just to the rift of the utility pole in the center of the photo. The ground is rocky. Large boulders help terrace the spacious sites.
Last night we learned a new game called “Up Yours”. It is played with ten cards (2 through 6 and 8 through Queen) and two dice. Oh, it also involves 10 nickels to play. The nickels are contributed to the pot when a seven is rolled. The person left with one nickel wins the pot.
That was last night. Tonight the stakes were raised to six quarters. The game that was played was LCR, which stands for left, center, and right. Less risky people play with chips. The three dice have single dots on three sides and the initials on three. Depending on what is rolled, you may give a quarter to a partner to the left or right, or to the pot in the middle of the table. The last player with one quarter wins the pot. We decided that this game would suit us better if dimes were used.
At this point we are wondering what route to take to get to Gillette. If the Black Forest Fire continues and the smoke levels continue to build, Interstate 25 may be closed. If the Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park stays under control (near Fort Collins) then it will presents no danger. At present, our plans to visit Pikes Peak are in a state of flux.
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