Summer Seminar is proceeding somewhat normally while the Waldo Canyon Fire rages a mere three miles away. Smoke engulfs the Colorado College campus (where Summer Seminar activites are held and where student dorms are located). Some extracurricular activities (e.g., the gold mine tour, the Pikes Peak tour, etc.) have been cancelled due to the fire. ANA says Week 2 will proceed as planned but conditions could change at any moment. A shift in the winds and all bets are off. They are at the mercy of Colorado College; if CC decides conditions are not safe on campus they could cancel Summer Seminar. I hope that does not happen. The air quality on campus is terrible. My throat is sore, I can feel it in my sinuses and I have a dull headache. I know of at least one instructor and two students who have gone home because of the terrible air quality. ANA announced that anyone signed up for Week 2 and wants to cancel will receive a full refund. [h=2]Summer Seminar participants urged to stay indoors because of Waldo fire[/h]
Just watched a news broadcast about the Colorado wildfires and thought to myself, "Wait... Isn't the S.S. coming up soon?". Hope the fire is contained quickly, and hope everyone stays safe! -Brian
Here are a few photos I took of the progression of the Waldo Canyon Fire. This photo was taken about an hour after the fire started. It may look innocent enough to the uninitiated but people who live in places prone to wildfires can see the horrible potential of such a fire. A couple of hours later. The plume of smoke was pretty big on Monday. Upper level winds took the smoke to the northeast. Not the best photo but this is the plume of smoke during some of the worst of the fire on Tuesday. I used my binoculars to watch dozens of houses burn Tuesday night. Ash is falling all over the place. I found a large chunk like the one in the photo on my sidewalk this morning and I am probably 5 miles from the fire. I saw a piece over twice this size on the Colorado College campus today. I hope these huge pieces don't carry any hot embers. Today was much better but the wind picked up mid-afternoon and got the fire back up in several places. This evening the fire had moved further north. Numerous plumes of white smoke could be seen all over the place. After sundown I scanned the area and the hillside and counted over 50 flareups as they popped up. My house smells like a campfire. I hope this fire is over soon. The President is coming to town on Friday. If he declares a federal disaster I will probably work the disaster and sleep in my own bed at night.