Wildfire

Still on our little excursion in Page, Arizona, we rose at a normal time and had breakfast with Mark. We arrived at the lower Antelope Canyon tour at 9:30 AM, about an hour before our tour was scheduled to begin. The lower canyon was very crowded and there were several places where we had to use ladders to get around. I took some beautiful shots of the canyon. I will have to reduce the color saturation on those shots for which I used the settings recommended by the professional photographer that I met at Yosemite. We had a wonderful lunch at the Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant. Glenda went to buy some Aquaphor for our chapped lips and I got a haircut in page Arizona. On the way back to St. George the GPS directed us onto Highway 14. This road runs through the Dixie National Forest. It goes right over the mountain and at one point we reached a pass that was about 10,000 feet high. The scenery was spectacular. On the western side of the slope we saw a strange cloud. We couldn't tell if it was fog or smoke from the forest fire. We arrived at Cedar City, got gas, and were told that there was a forest fire. A family at the gas pump told us that they were in the process of moving here from Massachusetts. They had just met the moving van at their new house but had not even unpacked. Immediately upon their arrival at their home, the fire authorities told them they must evacuate. They emptied the moving van and simply stashed all their belongings in the garage. They said they wish the truck had arrived just an hour later. Then their stuff would at least be safe, but now it is in a fire-threatened garage. They may lose everything. So now they wait, not knowing when or whether they will be able to move into their new house, nor whether the house is in the path of the forest fire. It may be days before they learn the fate of their new dwelling. Their two children looked tired, frightened and uncomfortable, and my heart went out to them. Czytaj więcej