A quick flash to Portal, Arizona, before we continue with Spain: This morning’s walk up the South Fork road with long-time friends, Chet and Irma, affirmed that new life is thriving there. Just below the South Fork bridge, a Wild Plum is fruiting. (Some people call … Continue readingNew Life
Today the annual census of Elegant Trogons in Cave Creek Canyon was allowed to happen, under an exemption to the Forest closure issued by District Ranger Bill Edwards. (Thank you, Bill!) Rick Taylor will be releasing the final tally when he has pored over the … Continue readingSouth Fork, with Trogons
Last night at dusk I stepped onto the balcony of our Roundhouse, and Lesser Nighthawks were drifting silently all around in the dim light, floating in the still air, suddenly quick as they found an insect. How very peaceful. Life is returning to its deep, … Continue readingA Night of Nighthawks
Tonight fewer lights gleam on the horizon at the Fire City next to the Chiricahua Desert Museum, north of Rodeo. The nomads are pulling up stakes, some to head home, some to relocate in Willcox for the next stage of the fire work. Horseshoe Two … Continue reading“It’s Kinda Nice To Win One”
Yesterday’s raging wind, which gusted to about 50 mph, created serious challenges for fire crews working on both the Horseshoe Two and the Monument Fires. In the Chiricahuas, those lines actually held! Incident Commander Jim Thomas congratulated the firefighters, saying that the success was the … Continue readingWow! The Fire Lines Held!
While I await more up-to-date information on the Horseshoe Two Fire, click HERE for an excellent article by Tom Beal, Fernanda Echavarri, and Tim Steller of the Arizona Daily Star on the Monument Fire. The Star is updating its website regularly. Today’s winds are causing … Continue readingMonument Fire Article
The meterologist at today’s fire briefing said that winds will again blow today at 20-25 mph, creating squirrelly conditions in some of the canyons, especially in West Turkey Creek and Pinery. Heat is increasing and will be over 90º today, with extremely low relative humidity … Continue readingAnd the Fire Burns On
Smoke from two regions of the Horseshoe Two Fire on 11 June 2011. To the left is smoke from the West Turkey Creek area; to the right, from Whitetail Canyon. (Photos by Narca) Firefighters confronting the Horseshoe Two Fire in Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains continue to … Continue readingThe Summer of Fire
Yesterday the wind was calmer, and fire crews working on the Horseshoe Two Fire (which has burned for more than a month in the Chiricahua Mountains) were able to gain some ground in their efforts to contain this fire. Today’s fire map shows the areas … Continue readingCurrent Fire Strategy
Yesterday evening as we dropped down Granite Gap into the San Simon Valley, plumes of smoke still churned from the Chiricahua Mountains. Homecoming is bittersweet. Smoke from Whitetail Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains (Photos by Narca) Horseshoe Two continues to surge north and west, driven … Continue readingHomecoming to the Horseshoe Two Fire