Cory sent these photographs of the ongoing fire near Sisters, OR. She wrote: "These images were taken from the passengers side of the truck as we made a trip to Salem on Thursday, Sept 7th. The smoke has inundated this whole state, along with smoke from other fires. Some days its less smoky but it still lingers. We have a train ride planned for the fall colors up in the Hood River area, not so sure we want to see it now, as I’m sure you’ve heard about that raging inferno in the Columbia Gorge area." We have heard about them, indeed. My brother, Joe, is a mechanic with Neptune. They fly tankers all over the western states and he has been on deployment for several months, chasing his plane as it get assigned to fires. He wrote to tell us that it has been overwhelming, devastating and frustrating for all the folks fighting these fires.
I looked at this photograph for a long time. Sobering.
This almost looks like a volcano erupted!.
Even color does not help the sense of devastation.
Cory wrote that they had planned on taking a train ride to see the fall color. They still plan on going (with some understandable hesitation) unless it is cancelled. , She writes that, "The fire is still burning up in the Columbia Gorge. I think autumn colors mixed with the charred remains of fire will give interesting and striking photos!" Sadly, true.