No Poudre Ride Today aka Wildfire Blues

June 9, 2012
Colorado, USA

Last Sunday we rode The Buckhorn Canyon road, The Stove Prairie road and part of the Poudre Canyon road. We did not ride Rist Canyon or the upper part of Hwy 14 (Poudre Canyon road) because a pesky little storm cloud was between us and our usual destination, Walden, CO.

This morning as Tim rode off for a Saturday short shift at work and I drove off to get a few errands done, we both had in mind finishing that ride this afternoon. In my rear view mirror I caught a glimpse of what looked like a thunderhead cloud. Tim said later he had thought the same thing. I drove out to the east side of town to get a better look at the cloud to the west. As it turns out it was not a cloud at all but a considerable plume of smoke and looked to be located near the mouth of the Poudre Canyon. Unfortunately, this plume of smoke would evolve into the infamous High Park Fire (destined to become the most destructive wildfire in the state's history).

Scary smoke plume from High Park Fire taken from the east side of Fort Collins

We did ride out this afternoon to get a closer look at the ever growing plume of smoke. Scary. It was extremely hot and the winds were hot and gusty.

We decided to ride east where the skies were still clear, have a bite to eat and call it a day. We found ourselves at the Coyote's Southwestern Grill in Greeley. It is a nicely appointed cantina-style restaurant, perhaps a bit pricey but the food was delicious and the service was excellent. If we pay $10+ for a burger - it better be good. The burger was good and so were the avocado rolls although we thought the portion was small for the price on the appetizer. The McDonald's wannabe fries - ho hum. We enjoyed Coyote's but it is not likely we will return anytime soon.

Appetizer: Avocado Rolls

Poblano Relleno Burger - yum! Fries ho-hum.

As we rode in the plume of smoke stretched across the entire northern horizon. This evening that smoke is in the city.

Today's ride = 65 miles

Slide show of the High Park Fire (30 photos):

Alternative link to this slide show

UPDATE July 2012: This wildfire started by lightning on private land at about 5:00 in the morning but may have been smoldering since the day before when storms rolled through. It was approximately 15 miles west northwest of Fort Collins. As of July 9, 2012 (a month later) it has burned 87,284 acres and destroyed 259 structures, most of those homes in the Poudre Canyon, Rist Canyon, and Buckhorn Canyon. It is 100% contained as of a couple of days ago when an early flash of monsoon rains finally gave the firefighters a bit of a helping hand. Flash flooding and mud slides have been occurring in Poudre Canyon with the advent of heavy rains causing yet more closures and evacuations. The post dated June 3 shows (video/slide show) part of the area prior to the wildfire. We will eventually ride those roads again and patronize the small businesses along the way but not in the near future out of respect for the residents in recovery and emergency workers still on scene.