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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Shift in the Wind

White-Winged Doves
It was inevitable:  the wind shifted out of the west, bringing with it smoke from the enormous Silver Fire, which is burning out of control in the Black Range of the Gila (Hee-la) National Forest near Silver City, New Mexico.  It is now the largest fire in the state at 127 square miles, and is burning into the Aldo Leopold Wilderness--the world's very first wilderness area, created in 1924.  All during our hike this morning Becca and I were smelling "campfire" smoke.  We're hoping the wind shifts again soon.
Four Musketeers

Checking out people on the mountain

Allthorn (aka Crucifixion Thorn)


Flower of the Allthorn

Four hikers on the upper foothills trail

Soaptree Yucca in bloom

Soaptree Yucca flowers


Soaptree Yucca against Tortugas Mountain


Closeup of the blossoms

Smoke from the Silver Fire has reached our area

Snake with RD (Reptile Dysfunction)?

A well-earned break

5 comments:

Dr. K said...

Nice array of photos. That smoke is really bad here.

JACQUELINE said...

Sorry to hear about the fire. Hope it's under control soon. (Perhaps they could hit it with that snake... No, fires are ghastly.) Lovely photos of the flowers and the doves. I've never got close enough to a Yucca to know if they have a perfume.

packrat said...

Thanks, Jacqui. Yes, Yucca flowers have a nice, subtle scent. Members of the Apache tribe regularly ate Yucca blossoms, and I have tried them myself. Quite tasty. I imagine they'd be good in a salad.

:)

Scott said...

Really nicely captured images of the doves, and the closeup of the soaptree yucca flowers is especially good, too.

I assume the forest service will let the Silver Fire burn in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness (since the USFS doesn't try to contain wilderness area fires, do they?). How do you feel about that policy?

I hate to tell you this (because you're suffering through such a terrible drought), but we have had severe afternoon thunderstorms with drenching deluges here every single day for the last week-plus, and they're supposed to continue for a least four more days. It's really getting old. Everything is growing like a weed (which is to be expected), but it's also extremely humid and everything--everything--outside is sodden. Yuck! It's like your monsoon season, with predictable, daily, toad-strangling rain.

packrat said...

Scott: I'm not sure how the forest service will handle the fire in the wilderness area. If not too much is threatened I imagine they'll let it burn. But this fire is humongous, and I'll bet if it threatens too much wilderness they'll react.

It just doesn't seem fair the way the rain is distributed, does it? We sure could use some of that precip out our way. Perhaps you and Kail can bring some when you head to Denver.

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