One Year Today
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2003 8:02 am
Here I sit, thinking back to this day, 18 June '02......the day Hell came to the White Mountains. The Rodeo Fire was started at 1348 MST by Leanord Gregg of Cibeque, Az. His reason? Something I think we all face from time to time, the lack of finances...........
Michelle and I were still with the Navajo County Sheriffs Dept, we had attended a meeting at 1800 hrs on Weds. 18 June '02 to discuss an evacuation plan the Sheriffs Dept, DPS, Gila County Sheriffs Dept had come up with, little did we know the plan would be put into action just 4 days later.
The worst day of my life.......the day we turned around, closed the door to the new house we had just purchased 3 months prior. We had planned for 4 years for this house, we saved every single nickle, penny....the time came, we had saved enough to pay cash. That feeling...........I will never forget loading what prized possesions we could into the Ram, pictures, papers, etc., 3 people, 3 dogs heading to points unknown, not knowing if we would have a house to return to or not. Many a tear was shed that day, locking the door behind us was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. All the while, I was in contact with Bill (aka streetsoldier) Steve (azskyman), Karan (pburgh), giving them updates from Camp Verde via telephone so they could post them at TWC message boards.
The wait...........sitting in Camp Verde, Az with my in laws, watching, waiting for the Monster to be contained, hoping the firefighters could gain the upperhand. 29 June '02..........the call came out, it's safe to return to Pinetop.............we drove into town, not a single soul on the road, business' closed, dark, an eerie feeling indeed. Upon returning to the house we found minor smoke damage inside the house.
One year later............a piece of me was lost during the Rodeo Chediski Fire, like the untold millions and millions of board feet of virgin timber, the moonlike landscape laid waste, soil so burnt that it will not support flora for many centuries to come. Yes...a piece of me burnt but........like the ever changing landscape and with the help of many people, we......the people, the land are healing, slowly but surely, a rebirth of hope, the dawning of a new age, the reseeding of faith, we are healing.
Many thanks to you Bill, Steve, Karan.....you guys were my rock, Karan, a Special Thanks to you for giving me the shoulder to cry on the day we pulled out, yes......I hadn't cried like that since I was 5 years old I would guess but when you see your world, your life, the very soul of ol snowman go up in flames, there are no words to discribe that feeling.
Dennis
Michelle and I were still with the Navajo County Sheriffs Dept, we had attended a meeting at 1800 hrs on Weds. 18 June '02 to discuss an evacuation plan the Sheriffs Dept, DPS, Gila County Sheriffs Dept had come up with, little did we know the plan would be put into action just 4 days later.
The worst day of my life.......the day we turned around, closed the door to the new house we had just purchased 3 months prior. We had planned for 4 years for this house, we saved every single nickle, penny....the time came, we had saved enough to pay cash. That feeling...........I will never forget loading what prized possesions we could into the Ram, pictures, papers, etc., 3 people, 3 dogs heading to points unknown, not knowing if we would have a house to return to or not. Many a tear was shed that day, locking the door behind us was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. All the while, I was in contact with Bill (aka streetsoldier) Steve (azskyman), Karan (pburgh), giving them updates from Camp Verde via telephone so they could post them at TWC message boards.
The wait...........sitting in Camp Verde, Az with my in laws, watching, waiting for the Monster to be contained, hoping the firefighters could gain the upperhand. 29 June '02..........the call came out, it's safe to return to Pinetop.............we drove into town, not a single soul on the road, business' closed, dark, an eerie feeling indeed. Upon returning to the house we found minor smoke damage inside the house.
One year later............a piece of me was lost during the Rodeo Chediski Fire, like the untold millions and millions of board feet of virgin timber, the moonlike landscape laid waste, soil so burnt that it will not support flora for many centuries to come. Yes...a piece of me burnt but........like the ever changing landscape and with the help of many people, we......the people, the land are healing, slowly but surely, a rebirth of hope, the dawning of a new age, the reseeding of faith, we are healing.
Many thanks to you Bill, Steve, Karan.....you guys were my rock, Karan, a Special Thanks to you for giving me the shoulder to cry on the day we pulled out, yes......I hadn't cried like that since I was 5 years old I would guess but when you see your world, your life, the very soul of ol snowman go up in flames, there are no words to discribe that feeling.
Dennis
