One challenge of doing field work in the high desert is the risk of fire, and this is what we have right now.
The Dollar Ridge Fire started two days ago, unbeknownst to us, about 80 miles from our field area. Late last night, we noticed the smell of smoke in camp.
Soon after, alerts hit our phones and we started making phone calls to find out what was really happening.
It turns out we’re safe, but we had to think carefully about plans for the next day. The fire remains uncontained, spreading rapidly due to high winds, but we continued fieldwork, nevertheless.
Meanwhile, here are a few highlights from the last two days:
A funnel cloud on a sunny day..
View from the outcrop this afternoon, just before I collected…
This neat turtle.
Tonight we’re in Vernal for the night, so we can take showers and resupply after a full week in the field. The Dollar Ridge Fire continues to grow, and a second fire has started closer to Vernal. Hopefully, neither will interrupt our plan to head back out tomorrow afternoon.
Wish us luck!
Penny Higgins - Storyteller • Artist • Scientist 