Well, we made it through the crisis point with the Akawa Butte Fire. It was very touch-and-go and fast-and-furious on Wednesday afternoon. The fire — now over 26,000 acres — made dangerous runs, driven by erratic winds in the approach of a thunderstorm, throwing up flame lengths of 100-200 feet. A pyrocumulonimbus cloud built over the fire, creating its own fire weather, including lightning. Evacuations came quickly. A whole lot of folks in the fire service and among law enforcement thought the inferno was going to make an unstoppable run into town. I thought so, too. It was tornado-weather black, and truly apocalyptic.
Then the T-storm came in, with winds out of the south, pushing against the head of the fire, and dumped some substantial rain on the worst areas. That modified the fire behavior enough that crews, which had been pulled out for safety, could get back in and reengage directly. Two houses were confirmed lost in the Stevens Canyon area north of Sisters. The outlook improved Thursday and today, but the weather forecast calls for hot, dry weather and some stiff winds out of the north-northwest that will test fire lines.
Obviously, my attention has been on work and family, but I have had opportunity to delve into a couple of trapline-worthy items…
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Daniel Boone at Fort Dobbs from Gary Zaboly’s new Ranger history, The Bushfighters. I love this image — an iconic depiction of the great Frontier Partisan at work.
My soothing bedtime reading is the recently arrived Gary Zaboly tome The Bushfighters: The Unsung Rangers, from Georgia to Nova Scotia, 1754-1764. Because nothing relieves the stress of dealing with dangerous mayhem in the woods more effectively than reading about dangerous mayhem in the woods. This thing is, as advertised, a comprehensive Ranger history from the French & Indian War era that highlights stories that don’t often get told. The illustrations are, as expected, top-notch. Unfortunately, in my copy the color plates are bound in upside down. I suppose I should kick about that — it’s an expensive book, after all — but I’ve been in the printing world long enough to know that shit happens, so I’m shrugging it off.
Gotta be careful reading it in bed though. It weighs in at 544 large-format pages, and it’s a fine, hefty thing. If I fall asleep reading and drop it on my face, it’s gonna do damage…
Seriously, though — this is a key text for any Frontier Partisan library, one that rewards both browsing and deep reading. A true magnum opus for an important artist/historian.
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Frontier Partisan history is rife with tales of failed colonies and settlements. I knew virtually nothing of the dark tale of the colony of St. Kitts, but thanks to Gold & Gunpower — one of my favorite channels, the story has been told in all its dark glory. Man, the New World was a rough place. Then again, so was Africa…
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I’ll be firing this one up when I hit the treadmill (it’s smoky around here, and my range/gym at Zimmerman Butte is off-limits due to the fire, so I’m back in the gym for a few days). This situation was a nightmare — and one I can relate to. I obsessively check my bags for stray bullets when I travel. A friend of mine got stopped by TSA recently with her pistol in her purse when she had a pass to escort her daughter to an international gate. It wasn’t a big problem, but…
Blood Trails: Paradise Prison — Four forgotten rifle cartridges. Three American families. One international nightmare.
When American hunters are arrested in Turks and Caicos after airport security discovers forgotten ammunition in their luggage, they expect a fine and a missed flight home. Instead, they find themselves facing up to 12 years in prison, trapped inside a foreign legal system that seems determined to make an example of them.But this isn’t just a story about a harsh law.In this three-part miniseries from Blood Trails, you’ll hear firsthand accounts from the Americans who lived it — their time in overcrowded jails, the psychological toll of waiting to learn their fate, and the terrifying realization that the people they expected to protect them couldn’t — or wouldn’t.
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The Almighty Algorithm kicked this set of dark ambient music — and I dig it. Good stuff for writing. It’s a little outside the artist’s usual medieval-themed bag — which doesn’t trip my trigger. This set, though, hits the target.
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Does a silk patch really give you an extra 40 yards? This question comes from an iconic scene in Last of the Mohicans, when Nathaniel and Uncas are providing sniper overwatch for a courier sent out from Fort William Henry to Fort Edward to beg for reinforcement and relief from Col. Webb.
Cap & Ball puts the matter to scientific testing. Nerd out, nerds.
Paul McNamee says
Myth busted, indeed.
Still…
“all the things that you see in that movie just makes you want to shoot black powder all day long and through all of your life”
He ain’t lyin’. (even if my own personal affinity pre-dates the movie)
lane batot says
On the Work Computer, so maybe this comment will go through? So what perzackly is the message on the tree bark Boone is perusing? I’m going to guess–a war party of the wolf clan of(tribe?) killed two whiteskins here. Am I right? Or maybe it’s the Fox Clan?…..And the courier thing on “The Last Of The Mohicans” reference–just remember the “couriers” and the “Coureur De Bois” are two entirely separate species! People were always getting us mixed up! But on the soundtrack, I will say, the courier theme is one of my favorites, and could well represent us Coureur De Bois running through the forest, too!
JimC says
Hey Lane! Great to have you back.
lane batot says
I never left! It’s just that, for whatever reason, Frontier Partisans WILL NOT accept any commentary I peck out from my home computer–so I read but cannot comment from there…..
JimC says
Well, in any case, always good to hear from you.
Quixotic Mainer says
Glad you’re getting any reprieve you can from the dragonblast up there!
I saved Whisper in the Holler, it was great to get my paperwork done to, and that’ll make a fine background for a treadmill jog or some escrima stick work.
Reference the bullets in the luggage, I generally sanitize my pack really well when I have to fly, but slipped up once and didn’t find a round ball in the bottom liner. The TSA agent, who had already found my badge and ID during the search, was highly entertained;
“Sgt., do you happen to carry a musket?”
JimC says
Made his week! That is how legends are started…
Matthew Ilseman says
I’ll be sending you a review of REH’s Western Stories sometime in the near future.
deuce says
“Well, we made it through the crisis point with the Akawa Butte Fire…Then the T-storm came in, with winds out of the south, pushing against the head of the fire, and dumped some substantial rain on the worst areas.”
Outstanding! Meanwhile, we’ve been having the wettest summer in decades here in SEK.
“Obviously, my attention has been on work and family…”
As well it should.
“Seriously, though — this is a key text for any Frontier Partisan library, one that rewards both browsing and deep reading.”
So many books, so little time.
Russ Lucas says
Canada also will refuse entry for just ammo now, found that out the hard way .
let’s hope you get more rain soon.
July 26, 1764 Enoch Brown school massacre
Wayne says
Having once been certified to fight wildfires with federal agencies, I breath a sigh of relief that your fire seems to be under control. Wildfires and floods are terrifying in their power; I’ve been close to both. Best of luck.
John M. says
Nothing in the Blood Trails episode made me ever want to be within 500 miles of Turks & Caicos, that’s for sure. What a mess. Imagine trying to explain to some insular ignoramus that you don’t need a license to own deer ammo in the USA. Or to one who thinks that a CCW permit makes you a bad guy.
Anyway, I prefer to travel with bags I don’t use for shooting and shoot with bags I don’t use for traveling. But that doesn’t improve my opinion of Turks & Caicos’s legal system.
JimC says
Right? Utterly chilling.
Kate Ferrell says
I don’t live too far from Fort Dobbs in North Carolina! They’ve actually rebuilt it, and have historial reenactments there. It looks just like the illustration.
JimC says
Zaboly does his homework. It’s a great illustration. Welcome to the campfire.
Joe says
I saw a post that said the fire reached 85% containment yesterday. Hopefully the area gets some more rain to put it down for good. Stay safe!
JimC says
Yeah, we’re out of danger from this thing, but it’s smoky as all get out — coming from everywhere with an ENE air flow. Just have to adapt and overcome.