I said earlier that I might need 16 loads of fuelwood for two houses. If so, I'm halfway there. This picture is of load number eight. It is the first one that I cut with a shirt on. That is, the work has been so warm that I have been cutting in a t-shirt, which is not usually a good idea. On this day, though, it was in the high-50s, a relief, and, yes, there were clouds. Clouds without rain, unfortunately, but it was the first break we've had from the sun since August.
This (above) is the flood gate (or stop gate) for the Hog Flat Reservoir. This (below) is the reservoir itself. After 140 days without rain, is there anything missing? I think the reservoir should be re-named: It should revert to the name it had when hogs roamed the flat.
VSO's favorite Wilco song (at least so far) is Passenger Side. She has done a great job learning it and playing it solo. But, EDO came up with an electric guitar part for it that rings like a bell—it sounds just like the way the Edge would play it. (EDO covers a lot of U2, so I guess it is no surprise.) The two of them sound really good. Listen HERE.
The ten day forecast is for hot and dry, with temperatures in the 90s and 100s. We've had little to no rain since May 20th. This is what Robinson Reservoir looks like right now. This week, the city cut our outdoor irrigation schedule from two days per week to one day. While the aspen forests remain beautiful, what I have noticed is that the fall colors during a drought tend towards brown and away from golden.
It was a gorgeous late summer day at the Twisted Forest. We walked to the rim, and then up to the little peak to the east. We came down through the wooded ridge above the trailhead. It is covered with old Douglas fir and five-needle pines. It has been a couple of years since we've done that loop, but it is a good one.
