On the road to the Oregon fire lookout: Fire Season 2010 starts now.

[DemoTex]

I stopped in Durango, Colorado, today and bought a 10X10 range tent (cowboy teepee). It is made by David Ellis, who had liberal-leaning stickers prominently displayed. Absolute top quality.

Then I drove north of Durango on US-550. What a drive!


Molas Pass today (almost 11,000 feet)
Canon 5D Mark-II 16-35mm 2.8 (shot at 16mm)


Mining operation north of Silverton
Canon 5D Mark-II 16-35mm 2.8


Cowboy teepee similar to the one I bought today

[Catshrink]

1. Where is your post this year?

I'm sure you and Nick will have a great adventure!

[DemoTex]

4. Same lookout in the Deschutes National Forest

[Catshrink]

5. Cool...

It's your own little cabin in the woods.

[depakid]

2. Crikey, that's not a lot of snow for 11,000' in mid May

Looks to be a busy fire season this year in Oregon.

[DemoTex]

6. Aye, Mate!

I skied your Snowy Mountains (Thredbo) in August 1971 while on R&R from Viet Nam. There were three of us: an Army MASH doctor, a Navy riverine PT boat skipper, and me - the pilot. It was school marms holiday week in Australia. Did we have a good time??!!

[depakid]

10. Cool! Perisher Valley is a beauty- getting cold, but no snow up there yet

but getting close to the time.

Meanwhile, down in in Sydney: waterspouts & surf!

[DemoTex]

13. Whoa! Is that mother spinning clockwise?

That's what the Coriolis Effect predicts in the southern hemisphere.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. My dear DemoTex!

What wonderful pictures!

I love the snowy mountains like nothing else...

And of course I'm looking forward to reading your dispatches about the fire season in Oregon.

Welcome home!

:hi:

[DemoTex]

9. Thanks dear heart!

The right-wing, ultra-religious elements of South Carolina stifle me. I told my derm doc three weeks ago that the eastern version of civilization was killing me. She agreed. She and her M.D. husband own a cabin in the California Sierras!

Let's hope I don't get any of California's drift smoke this year. Last season it was terrible.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. I hope there won't be any smoke at all!

Probably hoping in vain...

[NYC_SKP]

7. We look forward to your reports, and hope it's not a busy season.

Thanks in advance, and be safe, DemoTex!

:thumbsup:

[Morning Dew]

8. Woo Hoo - vicarious living season again so soon.

Stay safe, pet Nick, have fun... I can't wait to read your posts again this season.

[DemoTex]

15. Nick is right here on the La Quinta beddie-bye.

Snoring and chasing squirrels in his dreams!

[villager]

12. Yay! Another unfolding wilderness narrative from DemoTex begins!

Yet, dammit, the lingering question of why *I'm* not in the Big Wild too will persist with each post...

;-)

[Blackhatjack]

14. "And my friend, how does one go about getting a job such as this?"

I am sure it is not the kind of job that someone just happens upon.

How many are there doing this kind of work? Training and prior experience?

Thanks. I always enjoy your posts and pics.

[DemoTex]

16. I started at the web site below.

That led me to the master application for any and all USFS jobs: Avue Digital Services.

http://www.firelookout.org/LookoutJobs.htm

[stevedeshazer]

17. Welcome back to Oregon

Well, when you actually get here, I mean.

:)

[flying rabbit]

18. Cool, I am stoked to read your reports again!

:toast:

[LWolf]

19. Welcome back.

I'm worried about the fire season this year. An unusually warm 2nd half of winter started all the weeds and brush growing earlier than usual, and it's been a reasonably wet spring to keep it going.