Donnell Fire & Wolf Creek

Donnell Fire Photo Album

Laura, Z, Grandma and I needed to escape the smokey Central Valley air that had plagued the valley for much of July and August and we also wanted a way to unwind from the stresses of a new school year.  So what better thing to do than drive straight through the burned heart of the Donnell Fire on our way to Wolf Creek just east of Sonora Pass on HWY 108.   Traffic was not allowed to stop on HWY 108 between the Donnell Vista and Kennedy Meadows, so Laura did her best to photograph the scene moving at 20-40mph.  She did a pretty great job.

The fire intensity was hit & miss.  It completely destroyed Dardanelle Resort, but spared Baker Station and several other cabin properties.  Still, the damage of this 38,000 acre fir was pretty sobering.  But once across the sierra crest, the air was clean and blue as one can imagine a sky to be.  Cirrus clouds drifted over head from time to time making the scenery "pop".  

I'll be back soon to take 360 photospheres of the Columns of the Giants which also suffered some intense damage to the trees on top of the western-most portion of the lava flow.   It'll be interesting to compare my Science Friday Photospheres with the new ones when completed. 

Donnell Fire on Inciweb