Fires produced an eerie purple cloud cover.
The cloud of smoke from the Chippy Creek and other fires made the sky purple, gray, and scary.
**************************************
On that day in August, as we walked through the Rosaur’s parking lot gazing up at the ominous smoke overhead, we imagined ourselves as actors in a disaster movie. We wondered if something was going to happen. Would the ground start shaking, the wind start howling, and then giant hail fall in torrents upon our heads? Perhaps aliens would descend from their spaceship and start killing us off. Whatever happened, we would be stuck in Rosaur’s grocery waiting for it to be over.
Looking east over Kalispell, Montana
None of this happened though. The hail did not fall and the spaceship did not land. It was just another ordinary day, except that it was fire season. Fires surrounded the valley. It smelled like smoke and dark brown clouds loomed in the sky.
M and E at the Lone Pine Lookout.
One evening, our dad took us to Lone Pine State Park. After we had walked to a good vantage point, we saw plumes of smoke coming up. It was astonishing! It appeared as if the fire was right over the nearby hills.
Looking to the west of Kalispell from Lone Pine State Park
We looked towards Mt. Aeneas where we had seen giant plumes of white smoke from a fire burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness a week before. Blue sky peeked around dirty brown smoke and bright orange sun shined through dark clouds. It was eerie!
Our house smelled like smoke and smoke lingered around the valley. We’re glad it’s over. But all in all, it was an exciting fire season!
©08/07
