Western Swing 2013 - 22 &23 - What was missed, what wasn’t; a parting game

This post is going to cover two days, Thursday and Friday. The reason is that not much happened either day. It also provides an opportunity to give a glimpse of what we missed by not going on the Royal Gorge train and what we didn’t miss. Sound fair enough?

Thursday the Royal Gorge Fire was 40% contained and settling down. That means that nearly half of the fire line was being held though still some work was to be done to stop the spread beyond the evacuation area. Still, there were enough hot spots, smoldering, and damage to prevent the train from safely operating.

Here’s what we missed by missing the trip. In the event you don’t know, the train winds it’s way through the narrow the canyon before entering a narrow gorge only 90 feet in width -- very little room for roadbed, right-of-way, and river.

This is an aerial view of the train winding through a

portion of the canyon. The railbed was originally

laid by the Denver & Rio Grande and is now

a part of the Union Pacific. This is not

as slim as the canyon gets.

A different perspective -- the Bridge, which spans more than 800 feet

from tower to tower, is approximately 960 feet above

the Arkansas River. The trackbed is varies from

10 to 40 feet above the river.

Royal Gorge Park is now owned by the Cañon City and is run by

an amusement company, Royal Gorge Bridge and Park Company.

How is that for a surprise. The aerial tram is one of the popular

attractions at the Park. However, it is no longer functioning

since the suspension cable was destroyed by the

Royal Gorge Fire.

Here’s what we didn’t miss -- seeing the damage done by the wildfire. After further investigation it was determined that the fire started away from the canyon but spread northward with burning embers jumping across the chasm. In all, 48 of 52 buildings owned by the Royal Gorge company was destroyed and US 50 was closed for three days. 40 full-time personnel for the company will be engaged in clean-up operations while 140 temporary workers have lost their jobs. The surrounding area suffered only fire damage with approximately 250 citizens being evacuated and many animals moved to other areas for care and protection. No building owned by individuals were lost though nearly 4000 acres were consumed by the blaze.

Though mainly a pedestrian bridge, the Bridge is 18 feet wide and

capable of carrying vehicular traffic. Note the buildings in

front of the bridge and to the right in the photo.

The buildings, as they appeared two days ago. The photo is from a

Denver newspaper. Smoke is still rising from the fire that

was active at the time the photo was taken.

A converted DC-10 dumps fire retardant on a portion of the

Royal Gorge Fire. The retardant is sprayed over areas

that are ahead of the direction of travel of the fire. The red

dye helps personnel on the ground or in the air

know where the material was sprayed.

Today, nearly all of the residents that were evacuated were allowed to return to their homes under condition that they may need to be evacuated again.

Thursday evening we had our final night at the RV resort as the Freightliner Western Operations Rally came to a close. The meal was potluck with a great variety of dishes available and too much too eat. Following the meal the door prizes were given out in the form of a game. Each couple had a number. As the number was read in a poem, a member of the family would go forward to select a wrapped gift and exchange with another couple based on the instructions of the poem. A portion of the poem is provided below. We have to admit that it was an enjoyable way to involve everyone.

Lucky you, you’re # 1

You get to start all the fun.

So grab a gift and grab it quick.

Cause you're the one who gets first pick.

Number 2 you’re on the way.

It’s time for you to have your say.

Get your gift and when you’re done,

Swap it off with number 1.

Number 3 its plain to see.

It’s your turn to pick which gift ’twill be.

And when your choosing job is through,

Swap with 1 and then with 2.

Number 4 must use your head.

So grab a gift that has some red.

If it doesn’t suit you to a “T”,

You may swap with 2 or 3.

Jump to it, 5, don’t drag your feet.

Take your gift back to your seat.

Wonder of wonders, it’s yours for a spell.

But what comes next, you can never tell.

On Friday morning we left the RV resort in the wooded foothills of the Rockies south and west of Colorado Springs and drove to a different campground on the arid and flat ground south of Colorado Springs in Fountain. What, no trees for shade? Exactly. However, it was cloudy today and did manage to rain a bit at one time this afternoon. Because of the fire northeast of The Springs, the campground was fuller than normal with residents who had trailers and had to evacuate.

We did our normal Friday thing of going to a restaurant for a late lunch. After that Martha returned to her job while Byron went for a hair cut and a shopping trip to Camping World. While returning from Camping World he saw something run across the road. As he got closer he figured out what it was he saw because of the experience of last summer, prairie dogs. Sure enough, on the other side of the highway was a prairie dog village with about a dozen mounds.

The cloudy weather, cooler temperatures, and small amounts of rain helped those engaged in fighting the Black Forest Fire. Thus far it has destroyed over 400 homes, took two lives of residents who were attempting to leave with a few belongs (the garaged door was up and the car doors open). Nearly 15,000 acres have been burned across an area twice that size. Some people were allowed to return to their homes. In all nearly 38,000 were displaced for at least 48 hours.

Our observation is this. A tornado and hurricane may flatten a home and through or soak belongs that can be found or dried. However, a wildfire totally burns everything. Unlike a tornado, there is sufficient warning for a bulk of the citizens much the same as for a hurricane. A fire, however, means being away from home for a longer period.

Unlike last year’s Waldo Canyon fire that was nearly as big, law enforcement and National Guard troops were prepared to halt unofficial access to the evacuated areas with looting not being the problem it was last year.

Tomorrow, we’ll go up Pikes Peak on the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway. We’re looking forward to the experience. Don’t worry, we’ll have our jackets with us as we walk around for 40 minutes or so at the 14,114-foot elevation.