Planned a walk-about ride this morning in northern New Mexico,
but walking outside was greeted with this...
Riding ten miles south, decided to change routes from southwest to southeast... instead of going to Mora, head down to Ocate and Wagon Mound.
The smoke stayed further south as the road turned to gravel...
Crossing over the ridge and heading down thru the timber... smoke appeared to be getting closer...
Spotted something white off in the brush... went to investigate.
Either a hunter dumped the rib cage here or this elk did not survive the winter.
Either way the ravens had a feast.
The Fall colors were abundant... in sections,
Even when the aspen trees were bare.. fall is here.
An AdvRider heading north stopped to tell me that smoke conditions further ahead were bad
in Wagon Mound. That's 15 miles away. Said his lungs were hurting.
Less than a mile further I hit the smoke wall, turned around... my lungs are not what they used to be.
Too many cigars. Gotta protect what we still have.
Practiced a bit with the panorama feature on the iPhone. Smoke in the distance blowing east.
Backtracking found a good spot for a final ride photo for the day...
Riding thru Black Lake area, past the fire, spotted both fixed wing and helicopters dumping water. The wind is not blowing north so our Angel Fire condo should be safe, though not sure how sound we'll sleep tonight.
Ride safe my friends, sanitize and mask up.
CCjon
Oh man! Is that the Carson National Forest Fire? As beautiful as the fall colors are, wondering if the dry leaves are going to be an issue? What a wildfire season. Hope some rain or snow heads your way to help put this and the Mars fire out. Stay safe and protect those lungs, Abu.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pano pics.
Thanks Lily, Was surprised with the forest fire southeast of here, saw nothing on the news about it. Same location as a fire two years ago. Now I wonder if that was from a campfire over there. It was the weekend plus it is hunting season here. More people out in the forest.
ReplyDeleteWildfire smoke can be a bane to one's lungs and photography. You're right to take no chances.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dom, I just attended the Angel Fire outdoors townhall meeting on the fire. If winds stay as they are, no fire danger, but that could change from one hour to the next. More concerning is they expect the valley to fill with smoke in the next day or two. So, will pack up and hightail it out. The southern escape route is closed due to the fire, so it's go east or go west. East it is, Texas bound.
DeleteThis was my last visit for 2020, be back next spring.