Walla Walla, Fire Fire

Over the last 10 years, my friend, the poet and real estate entrepreneur (no, this is not an oxymoron) Charles Potts, has accumulated a large amount of forest land in the Blue Mountains outside of Walla Walla.  With plenty of land to graze, he's actively raising Appaloosa horses. However, in late July, a serious fire destroyed a significant portion of his forest land.  So I decided to drive up to Walla Walla and check out the damage and maybe lend a little moral support to Charles who was quite upset about the loss.  Here are some pics showing the damage (click on the pics for a larger size).

Many of the remaining trees are damaged, and will eventually die off...

Walla Walla in the distance...

Still some hot spots deep in the forest ravines...

Fortunately, the acreage around his house, corral, and support buildings was unaffected, except for the lingering odor of smoke and burnt foliage.  Potts and his horses all survived (unlike a neighbor who lost everything).

Perhaps I'll drive up again next Spring and check on recovery of the land.  Unfortunately, the trees will take decades to regrow.