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| no partners | | | Last year for our anniversary we camped at Mud Lake and enjoyed watching the wildlife and hiking the hood. This year we wanted to do the same, but when we arrived it was neither a lake or mud. Dry as a bone, but a beautiful green meadow though. Where we are camped is at a deadend road. The road is gated to a private cabin owned by the Flying M Ranch. The main ranch is to the east and was founded by the Metzger family in 1894. One day a woman comes riding up on a quad and tells us she is checking the fence and gates around the lake. She tells us she'll be moving into the cabin for the summer along with her horses, cats and dogs, oh and a bunch of cows. We commented on how dry the lake was and asked if it was a lack of moisture. She said it was that and the wind. Since the lake covers a wide area but very shallow, the wind will take up to 2" of surface water a day. Last year we had actually noticed it going down. She also said that tomorrow (Wed.) they will begin the prescribed burn. We saw the signs plus personnel that waved at us as we drove by, plus other campers, so it seemed no big deal. Wed. morning we were slowly getting ready to pack up when Deb said Holy Snickers!! Just west of us by about a mile the wall was beginning. They were using the powerline road as an artery, so the north/south line tripled in size in no time. We were done packing just as the valley filled with smoke. We talked to some nice fire crew members on the way out, since it was now teeming with ground crew and helicopters. We had no idea how big this operation was. On the way home we stopped at Sunset Point and could see it. |
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Route Editor
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