Tour of Burned Area

We took a ride around the area yesterday to see if there was any life in the burn area. This photo was taken from the back and other side of our community. It shows the green surrounded by black trees that is our area. We are in the patch of green on the left side. We had a few acres of trees burned and more ground fire but the ground growth is coming back - not the trees. I would estimate about one third of our property burned. 

The bad news is that a bristle cone pine tree that I measured and calculated was over 2000 years old was burned and destroyed. Others around the area all burned but were not as old as this tree. The tree is one we would visit each year and not all in our area were even aware it was there. Now it is destroyed and no longer worth visiting. It had under its branches two dug out areas where an archaeologist said the native Americans used it to conceal themselves where they could see wagon trains coming through the mountains and which ones they would attack. He found evidence and artifacts there but left them where he found them. They attack the wagon trains that were less able to defend themselves. The ruts of the wagon train route used to be visible but are burned also. 

The good news is that as we were driving around we saw a cow elk with a tiny baby that couldn't have been over 2-3 days old. The cow ran off and the baby couldn't keep up so it hid behind a burned tree while mama waited for us to pass by and re-claim her baby. She stood there patiently waiting for us to go by to be reunited with her calf. The little baby was all legs and very tiny with spots but with the new ground growth for the mother to eat it will grow quickly. She was alone which is common when they have just given birth. She will rejoin the herd when the baby gets a little older. Had we been a predator I have no doubt mama would have been angry and all hooves slashing away. As it was we just eased by and everything went back to normal..