The Beautiful Jemez Mountains Did Not Entirely Burn Down.

East Forks seems thankfully untouched by the fire, at least from the road. They moved the parking area farther up the hill since last time I was there. This is where I had my 1982 Class B Bigfoot sighting, by the way.

This rock tunnel was also virtually untouched by the fire.

Forest Road 376 didn’t suffer from the Las Conchas Fire, though there are burned areas from some previous fire now filling in with thick stands of aspen. I almost saw a bear, too. I started following a couple of anglers up a hill where they excitedly told me they had just seen a “big ass” bear. We all decided it was a dumb idea before we got to the top of the hill.

The crispy baked trees stand in stark contrast to the lush green grass, yes?

The Valle Caldera was only lightly touched by fire. Surprisingly, Las Conchas picnic area escaped burning as well, though it was closed to the public. Some of you may recall this as the location where I caught a leopard frog when I was 10.

It’s actually pretty lush in the Jemez now, due to monsoon rains.