The fire still blazes on.  At one point today the smoke cloud descended on the city and it was as if the apocalypse was upon us.  The sky turned orange, the sun turned a neon red, ash fell from the sky like rain, and the air was so thick that it was nearly impossible to breath.  It was probably the scariest moment of my life because I didn't know where that fire was.

Come to find out, it crested the ridge and came into the city.  Houses are being torched, 32,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and the Air Force Academy has sent the families to safer ground.  Summer school has been canceled, sports practices are on indefinite hold, and life as we know it hovers between fear and awe.

We went to Rampart Park to stand up on a hill and get an unobstructed view of the fire.  It was just getting dark, so when we turn the corner I could see the miles of flames stretched across the face of the mountain.  My stomach churned, my throat closed, my eyes filled with tears and no sound could come from my mouth.  I was horrified, devastated, and consumed with a feeling not unlike terror.

I've heard people say it looks like a volcano, as if lava is flowing down the cliffs.  I don't disagree, but I think a better description would be that it looked as if the mountain had split a center seam and was bleeding fire and magma.  Of course, this concept is ridiculous as our mountain is not a volcano, it's a batholith, but images of Dooms Day filled my mind and I felt a sudden urge to go home and hug my children close.

Now i sit here at almost midnight.. again sleep eludes me.  I am running on about 4 hours of sleep already, but the smell of a campfire keeps my senses alert.  I know that I'm not alone.. my Facebook wall and personal page have never been so active as they are tonight.  Image after image of burning houses and fiery brush assault my view, and it's all that I can think about.  I hope that if it comes to it I have time to take my pictures off the wall. I need to have my wits about me, I have to lay my head down and shut my mind off. 

How will that work out?  I guess we'll know if I post another blog in a little bit :/