There and Back Again

I headed back this weekend to Colorado to meet the insurance adjuster and take another look at what I could salvage from the cabin.  My friends, Vern and Shaunda went along to help out.  We stayed in Waltsenburg at a hotel.  This time La Veta Pass was open.

The first sign we were nearing the fire zone.

There were signs everywhere thanking the firefighters.

One of the firefighter camps outside of La Veta.  On the other side of Hwy 12 they were using an airstrip for the firefighter's helicopters and planes.

La Veta

The fire was just 4 miles outside of town.  See how beautiful it is?  I'm so happy they saved it.

This is the tiny town of Cuchara.  It is loved by many, mostly for the Dog Bar and Grill.  This place has a following of which we are a part of.  This was the opening night after being closed for almost two weeks.  The fire was so close to burning this place down.  Here the firefighters really dug in to protect a favorite local landmark.

It was an atmosphere of neighborly comradiery and celebration.    

The next morning we got up and headed over the pass to the cabin.  Sights like the one above were many.  The firefighters saved many cabins.  I wish ours was one of them.

The fire was still active not far off the highway but well under control.

The fire had destroyed a wood rail tussle causing this car to tumble down near the gate to Forbes Park.

Back at the Cabin

Not everything is burnt and the wildlife is still around.

Once back at the cabin we sifted through the ashes looking for anything that remained intact.  Due to the ashes and chemicals we wore masks and at times suits to keep the contaminates off of our skin.

A hammer

There are a lot of screws and nails that go into building a house.  I counted 40 in this picture alone.  

My Kitchen Aid mixer bowl

The red and teal are the remains of my favorite coffee cup.

This was once a beautiful vase that the kids would put wildflowers in.

We sifted through tons of bathroom tile and rubble looking for Nathaniel's arrowhead.  We had no luck.

The insurance adjuster also met us out there.  Time will tell if I like him or not.

Still Beautiful

The above photo was posted on the Spring Fire Facebook page.  It was taken the previous weekend.  When I first saw it I admired the picture for it's composition and color.  It was then I realized it was taken at the Forbes Park Lake just 2 miles from the cabin.  

The helicopter must have done it's job,

the hill on the left is green and unburnt.  The hill on the right is burnt.

After a day of hard work we took a drive up to Andes Loop, a favorite spot of ours to see the sunset.  

The forest fire may have done a lot of damage, but the area is still beautiful.

Looking toward La Veta.  So many miles of burnt timber.

The Spring Fire

On June 27th a man ignored a stage 2 fire ban in Costilla County Colorado and cooked some meat in a fire pit next to his camper.  While he covered the fire, the next day a spark flared up and started a forest fire.  This was at 3:15pm on a Wednesday.  By 7 pm mountain time Forbes Park was told to evacuate by 8:30 due to the fire blocking the only road in and out.  I received the news around 8 and was quite surprised and shocked since we were in the planning stages of leaving on that Saturday for the cabin.  The fire was up near the entrance gate to Forbes Park.  That is a good 15 minute drive from the cabin.  I thought surely the cabin would be safe.  For years Forbes Park has been preparing for a forest fire.  Many years of drought and dead trees due to pine beetles has caused much concern.   But all the preparations were not enough to stop what has become the third largest wildfire in state history.  Within 24 hours the fire had covered the distance to our cabin.  It took another week to know whether the cabin was destroyed or not.

The county assessors went in an evaluated each property while also updating the tax roles.  Those people who had been evacuated into the Red Cross Shelters or who were staying nearby were called to a meeting where they were informed face to face as to whether their cabins were still standing.  Those of us who were not there in person waited for the list to be released online.  I couldn't look.  It was like living was the worst suspense movie ever.  Sandy, Shaunda and Susan gladly took over the job of watching for the list to be released while I did my best to distract myself and keep my nerves under control.  

On Thursday evening at 6:30 I got the call from Sandy that the cabin was destroyed.  Already earlier that day it had been announced that Forbes Park residents would be allowed to gain limited re-enty on Saturday from 9 to 1.  I was already making plans and preparations to make the drive.  Yvonne volunteered to ride with me and Heather offered to meet us in Colorado.  

On Friday morning Yvonne and I left Wichita.  Due to La Veta Pass being closed for the fire we had to take the long way around and come up through New Mexico.  This added somewhere between 2 and 4 hours to the drive. 

Driving up from New Mexico into the San Luis Valley with Mount Blanca ahead of us.  The smoke could be smelled at an hour away.

Fort Garland should normally be busy on a summer evening with tourist traffic passing through heading to the Sand Dunes or Durango.  The firetruck was blocking entry to the pass.  It was much quieter than I thought.

The Fort Garland Community Center had been set up as a Red Cross shelter.  The school had been turned into the command base for the fire fighting team handling the southern part of the fire.  It is hard to see in the picture but behind the school is a tent city for the firefighters.  

Things seemed close to normal but there were signs that not everything was as is should be.

Yvonne and I met up with Heather in Alamosa and spent the night in a hotel.

It is ironic that as soon as I lose my cabin a Starbucks opens in Alamosa.  Yes, that makes it an hour drive from the cabin, but believe me in the scheme of things, that is close!

Heading to the Cabin

Last Saturday the powers that be opened Forbes Park up for 4 hours for home owners to come in and view their properties.

With La Veta Pass closed the line started in Fort Garland.  Cars were lined up on the roads and packed into parking lots waiting to be let in.  We showed up 45 minutes early and it was quite the crowd.  I have never seen this many Forbes Park people all in one place.

It gave neighbors a chance to compare notes and ask about the conditions of homes.

Once we made it to the entry point we had our RapidTag badges scanned in order to keep track of who was entering and if they were allowed.  The RapidTags are badges that confirm property ownership in the evacuation zone.  It helps to keep looters and the press out.

The drive from Fort Garland to the gate at Forbes Park is about 15 minutes.  With the pass closed we had the road to ourselves.  They escorted us up in groups of 25 - 30.  

Turning off the highway.  It felt like it was a long, solemn funeral procession.

Filing through the gate

After the gate we started to see the effects of the fire.  The managers office was saved but the fire came awfully close.

The firefighters had been able to protect the Forbes Park Community Center and there they had the Red Cross set up handing out supplies for clean up and support.

We started to see the remains of burn cabins.

The red on the trees is the remains of fire retardant, assumably dropped by helicopters or planes.  See the mountains behind?

The deer were still around.

The Cabin

Looking up at the cabin from Forbes Park road.

On Korlkoff

Thankfully, my dad had the foresight to build a safe room.

The washer and dryer.

I found my toothbrush holder (in the center of the picture) in the rubble meaning that this is the remains of the master bathroom.  Nathaniel is upset to lose an arrowhead my dad gave him years ago.  The arrowhead was sitting on the ledge below my bathroom mirror.  I hope to go back, sift through the rubble and find it.

The safe room was safe.  It got hot enough in there to melt the styrofoam insulation but most of the items stored in there are safe.

See the Styrofoam on the walls?

The safe room got hot enough to bake things.  I moved the lawn chair and it left these marks.  See the shelf where I removed a box?  Everything was a couple of shades darker and crunchy like burn pizza crust.

But, I had the family pictures and history stored in fireproof safes.  It survived beautifully.  

Shaunda gave us the idea to take a tarp to cover the safe room to protect it in case it rained.  The ladder was also a big help.

Back in Fort Garland having our badges scanned once again.  By scanning again they were able to document who had left the evacuation zone and if anyone remained that needed to be escorted out.