4:30 PM MST.Scanners. Every other person who walks in the door of my Radioshack store is either looking for a scanner, or wants the latest BLM frequencies. I went too see my friend Don at the Idaho Springs store yesterday afternoon to scrounge another load. People are starved for info: Which way will the fire go next? Has my home been burned? Are the firefighters making any progress? Last night the local news channel carried a report that Conifer was being evacuated, so I drove the three miles to my store to discover every thing peaceful and normal, another false alarm. Disinformation is rampant. If you ever want to know just how much guess-work goes into your 10 o'clock news, try living in a disaster area.

A guy came into the store yesterday morning, saying that he had seen the beginning of the fire. He was draining his hot tub at his High Meadow home when he noticed a thin plume of smoke rising in the valley below him. At 9:05 AM he called Elk Creek Fire Dept, who replied that they "were on it." For three hours he watched the fire grow in size, until finally at about 12:15PM he saw trucks arriving at the scene. He is now living at the shelter, not sure whether his house was still standing. A second guy said he had lied to the police roadblock in order to get to his house south of the town of Pine. He said he had driven in along the edge of the blaze, with a wall of flames just 30 feet away, just to rescue his Golden Retriever.

I drove to the top of Conifer Mtn, around the corner from Rex, and got a view up the valley toward Bailey. The fire lay like an elongated crescent stretching 3 or 4 miles from near Bailey to Shaffer's Crossing. A spotter plane wheeled high above the smoke, giving instructions to a lead plane who guided the slurry bomber to the flames. I had the image of several mosquitoes attacking an elephant, such is the enormity of the blaze. What courage it takes to fly into that dense plume of smoke. Several waterbucket choppers are now in the area, including a huge one the Canadians have sent. The winds are down, and today would seem to be the pivotal day. Road crews are dropping trees and clearing brush along Highway 285, in order to widen the fire line and keep the High Meadow Fire from crossing the Highway and taking Conifer Mountain.

Rex, I'll buy you a beer at the Bucksnort when this is over, as long as you, me, and the Bucksnort are all still standing...