Forest Fires | Soldier Creek Forest Service Campground | Utah

Soldier Creek Campground belongs to the Forest Service, it is part of the Strawberry Reservoir but it took about 12 miles to get to the this side.  It's a very nice campground, and I had a really scenic spot overlooking a part of the lake - this is my view right out my door.

Unfortunately, the view from the back window gave me a front seat to view the fires.  This was pretty much the scene for the first few days.  I wasn't really concerned because I was told that it was about 2-3 canyons away from the campground.  Besides, there was lots of water in the lake and a good portion of it was between the campground and the opposite shore. 

For a few days, I watched two of these seaplanes land on the water, run for quite a while and then take off to circle to the fire.  They were loading water from the lake into those pontoons and then going to dump it onto the fire.  They always worked in pairs and I was told that they do that so one could go in low and the other goes in high to douse the flames.

Even after working at this for about 3 days, for 5-6 hours each day, the fire was still going, and getting really smoky when the wind shifted.

When the wind shifted, the campground was full of smoke - and ash!  Tiny flakes were floating from the sky and landing all over everything.  Still, we were in no danger because the fire itself was far away.  Below is a long shot of one of the helicopters that appeared as the smoke fog came in.  This is a really long zoom, and with all the smoke in the air, you can just see the helicopter itself and the bucket they're filling from the lake, which he then dumps on the fire. 

After 2 days, the wind shifted again and we were back to clear air again.  The fire was still burning, but it had certainly decreased in size.  There were still hot spots that were flaring up and the workers on the ground were dealing with them.

I was talking to the camp host one day and we recalled "Smokey the Bear", which was a big campaign decades ago.  Ads would be on television and in print publications, as well as signs along the highway.  I'm not sure why this campaign was stopped years ago, because certainly people still need to be educated about fire prevention.  This year has brought us major forest fires that have raged for thousands of acres. 

Two years ago, I visited the Smokey the Bear museum in Capitan, New Mexico.  The displays showed all the signs, posters and all sorts of information about how to deal with campfires, and fire safety in general.  A small bear cub was rescued in a forest fire years ago, which is where the Smokey the Bear mascot came from. 

Little animals, like the ones below at this campground, and larger animals that are rarely seen, are killed by forest fires if they can't get away fast enough from an approaching fire.  Homes are lost, as well as some fire workers. 

Across the lake from the fire, right my area, people were still out in boats and enjoying the day.

At the campground, it was business as usual, I was hiking around finding pretty scenery and other people were enjoying their stay. 

This was a bit of a hazy day, but I love the wind ripples on water.

I took a drive to the opposite of the lake, the road was snaking along the side of the mountain, but at least they had guardrails.

The scenery was pretty, but you could tell the haze had blotted out the blue sky that you'd normally see.

Unless you were facing away from the fire.

By the time I left this area, the fires were out and the air was clear all over!



Killer Cat vs Killer Hiking Boots

 

This is my cat, Chica, adopted when she was about 8 months old.  She had been living on the streets when she got trapped, spayed and then fostered for a short time before I ended up with her.  She looks like a sweet kitty, doesn't she?  She's very sweet and affectionate and usually well behaved.  The photo below makes you think she's about to attack that ball - she loves those balls.

 

She even plays fetch with the balls, if she's in the mood. 

You would think, with her background, she would be a great mouser and there would be no problems, right?  Well, maybe not.......  She's very considerate and doesn't wake me up with her night-time wandering, until a few nights ago.  I woke up about 3:30 to the sound of her banging into things in the living area of my RV.  So out of the ordinary, I had to get up and check it out. 

I went down there and saw her chasing a mouse around the room - a MOUSE!!  A tiny little thing, about 3-4 inches long.  I have never had one inside, although they have been in the storage area below.  After I got over freaking out, I decided to help her and picked up everything on the floor, her toys, water bowl, and other items we have sitting around.  This gave her more room without objects in the way.  During this time, the mouse was running around with Chica in hot pursuit, sometimes both of them running over my foot. 

The mouse got under the sofa, so I pulled the front off, which gives me a huge storage space underneath.  Everything had to come out of there and piled wherever I could put them - this is a small 5th wheel.  Chica was relentless, she kept after the mouse.  When the mouse disappeared for a time, she would run around the room looking for it.  Then it would appear again and the race continued.  When Chica had the mouse cornered, they would stare at each other - until the mouse ran off again.  The mouse would hide again and then Chica would sit there waiting, with her tail twitching. 

This went on for close to 2 hours - both of them racing around the room.  I was getting a bit annoyed and told Chica to wrap it up.  After all, she lived on the streets for months, she must have caught little critters to eat - she could not have forgotten how to do this, right? 

RVs usually have lots of upholstery - even edging the doors.  The mouse noticed this and zipped right up to the top of the door.  By that time, I was ready to end it, so I grabbed my hiking boot and whacked the mouse - he fell to the floor and continued running, but at a slower pace.  OK, now was the time that Chica could get him and get this over with!!  After another couple of loops around the room, I waited until the mouse was in a corner and went over with my killer hiking book and gave him another few whacks to finish him off. 

Chica wanted to go over and check him out, to see if he wanted to play again.  I kept her away and scooped him up and into a plastic bag.  What a relief!!  Chica kept roaming the area, sniffing to see if she could find her little friend, but thank goodness, there was only one of them!  I have no idea how long this would have taken if I had not intervened - and I don't want to know!  I like to think my sweet little kitty would be able to save me from one of these critters, but it could take days and she might become attached to her little friend.

 

I guess "Killer Cat" is not the appropriate word - but I do have some killer hiking boots!  Good thing she's a great little pet.  For those of you wondering, if she had caught this by herself, I would not have let her eat it - it would still have ended up in that plastic bag.  You never know where those critters have been or if they're diseased.

Nebo Loop | Ponderosa Campground | Nephi | Utah

From Nevada, I landed in Nephi, Utah.  There is a great scenic drive nearby, these are some of the sights I saw on the trip around.  Below is the Devil's Kitchen - you have to walk down a short trail, and it overlooks this scene.  Such a difference from the rest of the area.

 

Mostly, the area is mountains and a few red rock areas built into the mountains.

 

 

 

I was camped in a nearby Forest Service camp, Ponderosa Campground, this little creek ran along my campsite.

 

My back yard was spacious and shady.

 

Wild turkeys were in the area and I got to catch a mom and 2 of her babies.

 

Adjacent to the campground, there is a trail to a meadow, all you have to do is crawl through the gate.  Pretty area up there, some of this type of grass was taller than I am.

I was lucky to have this butterfly pose for me.