The Station Fire has been burning, here in southern California for over two weeks now. It has devstated more than half of the Angeles National Forest and left behind some surreal scenes. I bike regularly through parts of this forest, and spent some time yesterday checking out my old haunts. The smell is the first thing that hits you. Mesquite grows wild here, and the whole mountain range now smells of BBQ. That is, until the wind shifts. Then it smells of rotting meat.

I don't know how many of you have read Dr. Seuss' Lorax story, but I was reminded of it time and again as I rode the trails yesterday. I ran across a number of hikers and bikers taking stock of what used to be their favorite spots. All of them seemingly moving in slow motion, shaking there heads and pointing out favorite spots that are now hard to recognize.

It almost looked like winter here, but no. That's ash on the trees and ground.








In the spring this trail is alive with wild mustard, yucca plants, and myriad other low growing flowers and bushes.






Unfortunelty it's no longer spring, and the local flora and fauna were hard hit. Here's a shot of a rabbit and rat that sought shelter at the crest of a ridge.


Also unfortunate is the fact that it doesn't take long for man to start messing up the purifying work that fire does.



Not to be all doom and gloom, some things did survive. Life does seem to find a way afterall. A tree here.



A flower there.


And since this is a herp site. This fellow looked to have survived by finding underground shelter, to which he returned right after this shot.


This was my favorite sight of the day though. This fellow somehow made it through the fire and was revisiting old haunts as well. I've seen deer at this bend in the trail on a number of occasions. Who knows, maybe it's been this very buck.


Not pineapples. Yucca plants. Ready and waiting for the rain.


It will be an interesting winter for the forest. The aftermath has been worse than I had hoped for, but better than I'd feared and the beginnings of rejuvination are already in evidence. Hopefully I'll be able to post a follow up to the shot below next season, as life begins to return to the hills here.

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