Monday, September 17, 2012

The Last Five Days of Summer


It’s snowing on the Continental Divide this morning and Saturday is the autumnal equinox. Fall. Finally. This is the first year I have ever felt like celebrating summer’s passing. Colorado had record-breaking heat and raging wild fires this year. 

Our house was built in 1883 so there’s no central air conditioning, but we have window units in a couple of rooms that make the house bearable. In an average year, there would have been an occasional break from the heat but it stayed hot from spring right on through the summer months.

Our cabin, located on the beautiful Poudre River, is still half-buried under dirt deposited by a flash flood. The old cabin is from the 1800s and is historic. Special effort was made to save it during the High Park Fire but now what? We are overwhelmed by the amount of work it will take to dig it out, but there is nothing to keep it from being buried again every time it rains. This is a big problem that urgently needs a plan. Winter is approaching and will complicate the situation. The river is awesome and the meadow survived the fire so the cabin must be saved.

We have one last trip planned 2012. The Moab area is a great place to soak up some sun, see the stars, and float down a peaceful river. After this year’s drought in the West, we may be walking the riverbed in parts but that’s fine with me. 

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