Wildfires in Oregon and Washington have completely changed the vibe here on the prairie. With winds blowing east, the sky is a constant hazy-grey color with a small smokey scent. Wildfires are a natural process in many places, including the prairie, so the habitat and animals are used to the environment during this fire season. However, it was awfully surprising to wake up one morning to see the grey haze covering the landscape.
For the environmentally curious folks, here's an article on the ecological importance of wildfires:
http://www.nps.gov/tapr/naturescience/fire-and-grazing-in-the-prairie.htm
Speaking of wind, two nights ago we had the wind storm of the century. It lasted from ~1-4am (it was hard to gauge how long it lasted because survival instincts can fog timescales). I was convinced my tent and I were going to get lifted off to Oz. My tent survived, but some of the other tents were seriously injured. During the beginning of the storm, I braved the weather and tied down my tent in two more spots, and the wind was wildly impressive while I was out there. I spent maybe 2 hours pushing against the western side of the tent, trying to brace my tent poles from the crazy wind forces.
Sleeping through this storm? Impossible. The sound of tent fabric flapping in my ears was not exactly a soothing lullaby. And then the tent would cave in on my body every 8 minutes, startling me awake from any soft slumber I may have fallen into. When we all arose at 5am for our hike, we were not exactly the happiest campers (haha). We all expressed how badly we wanted it to rain TO JUST GET THE STORM OVER WITH. But no, not one drop fell from the sky. Just wind speeds that rival Katrina.
I have a new appreciation for walls and a roof.
On that note, here is a nice photo of the bison herd:
For the environmentally curious folks, here's an article on the ecological importance of wildfires:
http://www.nps.gov/tapr/naturescience/fire-and-grazing-in-the-prairie.htm
Speaking of wind, two nights ago we had the wind storm of the century. It lasted from ~1-4am (it was hard to gauge how long it lasted because survival instincts can fog timescales). I was convinced my tent and I were going to get lifted off to Oz. My tent survived, but some of the other tents were seriously injured. During the beginning of the storm, I braved the weather and tied down my tent in two more spots, and the wind was wildly impressive while I was out there. I spent maybe 2 hours pushing against the western side of the tent, trying to brace my tent poles from the crazy wind forces.
Sleeping through this storm? Impossible. The sound of tent fabric flapping in my ears was not exactly a soothing lullaby. And then the tent would cave in on my body every 8 minutes, startling me awake from any soft slumber I may have fallen into. When we all arose at 5am for our hike, we were not exactly the happiest campers (haha). We all expressed how badly we wanted it to rain TO JUST GET THE STORM OVER WITH. But no, not one drop fell from the sky. Just wind speeds that rival Katrina.
I have a new appreciation for walls and a roof.
On that note, here is a nice photo of the bison herd:
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