Earth, Wind, and Fire (and Smoke, Lots of Smoke)

[DemoTex]

Smoke from the "Brown Fire" (started in Brown Bear Canyon of the Baboquivary Mountains, 45 miles southwest of Tucson) obscures Baboquivary Peak and spreads over the United States Observatory at Kitt Peak at sunset on Saturday (6/18).


"Ring of Fire - 1": The Brown Fire at 1 AM, Sunday, June 19, 2016.


"Ring of Fire - 2": The Brown Fire at 1 AM, Sunday, June 19, 2016. Spot fires can be seen on the northeast aspect of Baboquivary Peak (to the right of the larger "ring of fire&quot . Fire size at this time was about 4000 acres.


The 99% waxing gibbous moon sets in heavy drift smoke at about 4:45 AM, Sunday, June 19, 2016.


Sunrise with thick, layered, drift smoke from fires to the northeast (probably the Cedar Fire near Show Low, Arizona, and fires in New Mexico). The San Pedro River Valley is holding the smoke like a bathtub holds water (lower right).


A strong northeast wind (25-35+ knots) prevailed most of the night and into mid-morning. This pushed smoke from the Brown Fire (63 miles southwest of me) into Mexico. But it gave us a rude surprise at about 5:30 AM today (Sunday).


Shortly after sunrise, drift smoke started spilling over the Santa Catalina mountain ridges, from the San Pedro Valley, and flowed down the drainages into Tucson. There was widespread public concern, and our fire dispatch center got a number of phone calls.


The hottest day of the year, so far, started quite cool in the high winds at 9000 feet elevation. I grabbed a cuppa, and sat down to rest (I had been shooting off & on since 12:45 AM!). This was about 5:50 AM. Within minutes the lookout phone rang (I really knew it was coming), and I was asked to saddle up the USFS ATV-Quad and do a recon of the north and eastern aspects of the Santa Catalina Mountains, just to rule out any smoke source locally.

Note: At 5 PM Sunday (6/19/2016), the Brown Fire in the Baboquivary Mountains is sized at 8100 acres, and the temperature in Tucson is 113*F. It is a pleasant 82*F here at the fire lookout at 9000 feet.

[malaise]

1. You look completely at peace

Magnificent photos

Off to the greatest page

[Delphinus]

2. Doesn't he?

[DemoTex]

15. Lovin' life!

Thanks!

[malaise]

17. That's great

[riversedge]

3. Thank you for the lovely photos. You do wonderful work. Take care.

[panader0]

4. Nice...

[marked50]

5. Thanks for the photos

Can't thank people like you enough. We live about 20 miles north of the Dog Head Fire in NM and depend upon those people fighting the fire-public servants like you.

[womanofthehills]

13. I'm about 25 miles south of the Dog Head Fire

my good friend is the Capilla Peak lookout (Manzano Mts) - She is up in the lookout now and said if the winds don't come up tomorrow, the outlook is good. She was the first one to spot the Dog Head Fire. We are now getting smoke from the North Fire down by Magdalena.

You are right about the fire lookout workers - they put their life in danger too. My friend was trapped in the Capilla lookout during the Trigo Fire in 08 - the fire was 250 yards from her. The helicopter could not land to pick her up because of the wind.

[DemoTex]

16. Thanks, to you and Womanofthehills

Looks like we are in the same boat, fire-wise. I can normally see over into New Mexico to the east. Not now. Solid drift smoke. Northeast? Sorry, smoked out. Howzabout the southwest? Notta! Chokin' smoke there. See the moonrise, Mr. Lookout? Moon, what moon?

mac

[sakabatou]

6. I'm guessing it's the smoke that makes the Moon look

a lil bit eclipsed.

[DemoTex]

18. This morning, it was perfect ..

The smoke served as a graduated neutral density filter. There was enough ambient light from incipient dawn to illuminate the foreground. And the moon was a wonderful color. The lower the moon sank, the more the smoke "eclipsed" it. Yes, you are correct, and I have about 50 frames to prove it!

[sakabatou]

34. Nice

If only there was less light pollution.

[liberalla]

7. Great pics as ALWAYS... what was the temp at 5:50 am up there?

Who covers the lookout when you go out on horseback or other duties?

Thanks for all you do!

[DemoTex]

19. At 6 AM it was 56*F, with NE winds 25-35 knots

At 1 AM Tucson was 88. Count on a 30-degree delta between Tucson and the top of the rock. And as the sun sets, I am closing windows. Temp in the lookout has dropped 10-degrees in 10 minutes - from 86*F to 76*F. Nice.

Ironically, this old lookout, which is on the National Register, used to have stables. There is a concrete water trough for horses below the lookout. Wish there were a trusty steed of the equine variety at my disposal! That would make this great gig about 100X more romantic than it already is.

But, alas! When my great boss (best I have EVER had .. ever), says "saddle up your trusty steed," he means the Honda 4-wheel ATV that the Forest Service puts up here for just such a need.

My presence in or near the lookout (scouting on the ATV counts) is fine, with no relief necessary. And I am getting into the 13-ON/1-OFF lightning days. Then, on a mandatory day off, a fire crew member will cover lookout duties.

[liberalla]

29. So, no horse- so sorry! The ATVs are fun, too... but sure not romantic

Thanks for the additional info/details on life in the lookout. It's a different world...

[NightWatcher]

8. Happy Fire Season

[Sienna86]

9. Your photographs are always amazing,

And you look quite at home atop your observatory. Thank you for letting us share in the wonderful of the earth you look after.

[Warpy]

10. Fire is dangerous and makes a hell of a mess

but also gives great opportunities to photographers. That night shot of the fire above Tucson is fantastic.

Here (NM), the closest fire is about 9% contained, good thing because it was starting to close in on a couple of fair sized towns. Smoke has been a problem here at night and I don't think I'm the only lifelong nonsmoker waking up with a smoker's cough every day.

I think we topped out at 104 today. Humidity is low so it would have been bearable had I not been coping with a dead car battery in a grocery store parking lot.

[DemoTex]

21. F*re happens (my version of S*it happens)

Getting worse and more frequent. Might as well be here and help. Got camera? Yep.

Actually, those night shots were serendipitous. The midnight whiz call. I never turn on lights until I have scanned for fires. Last night I forgot to whiz, because I was so keyed in on the fire I saw. And with high winds, I had to anchor the tripod. Set mirror lock-up. Connect the external camera control (AAA batteries dead on the remote). Test it. Crap, why was this not ready?

Smoke. Fire. Wind.

[Cassiopeia]

11. Skillz!

Love your shots as always.

[Hekate]

12. Amazing as always, Mac. We've just got the Scherpa Fire at the moment, 51% contained....

...but supposed to be sundowners tonight. That patch of chaparral hasn't burned in something like 65 years.

Firefighters are fantastic. The fire tried to jump the freeway twice, but they pushed it back. They saved the El Capitan campgrounds by the ocean.

[DemoTex]

25. Watching the Scherpa on Inciweb and Wildcad.

Among many others. Seems I have too many fire buds on too many bad-ass fires. Not a good fire season.

[Scurrilous]

14. Beautiful pics.

K & R

[dobleremolque]

22. Incredible photos!

You're doing great work and I love your posts. (Can you see me waving at you from River & Craycroft?)
It's 8:30 P.M. and still 104. I'm headed for the pool.

[DemoTex]

26. I do! HI!

I buy a couple of specialty items at the Whole Foods there (deli smoked turkey, mainly). That Walgreen's is my pharmacy. And my last stop on the way back up the mountain after my few-and-far-between off days, is the QT there. I usually spend my off day (two if I am lucky) at the St. Phillips Plaza Homewood.

It is getting cold up here. Heater comes on in 5-4-3-2-1 ..!

I guess we are neighbors!

[SalviaBlue]

23. Thank you for expanding my my world by sharing yours!

Your pics are awesome!!

[druidity33]

24. I relish your posts and your photos... thank you. nt.

[Backwoodsrider]

27. great pictures of the tree's still a little green

Green here in Oregon not fireseason in coast range yet but long range forecast says hot and dry in Pac NW, hope SW gets a little relief. Good luck catching those smokes early too, afraid there might be many down your way this season

[DemoTex]

30. Lots of PACNW crews down here to help ..

Had Montana's Flathead NF Regulars, a 20 person hand crew, visit Lemmon Rock today. Great young women and men. And dammit!, I forgot to do pics. That was a 2016 resolution: pics of all the visiting crews. Crapola.

Many of my Oregon fire friends are deployed to the SW, but that is usual. The Deschutes is wet and cold. We are burning. Badly.

[Backwoodsrider]

31. yeah I would enjoy seeing pictures of the visiting crews too

hope AZ gets some relief soon

[spanone]

28. K&R...

[denbot]

32. I ended up taking the I-40 back home Wednesday night.

No more then 70 miles east of Santa Rosa NM, and well after dark I could tell the sky was blacked out by smoke not clouds. It was obvious without rolling down my windows that it was a forest fire due to the red tinted moon.

I was blown away when I finally drew up to the fire it was all the way on the east side of the Sandia's. Years ago, I had a friend up there, that I haven't had contact with in 20 years. I sure hope she, and all her Jack Russell's are out of harms way.

[Yonnie3]

33. Great photos - thanks!

I especially like the last one of you hard at work