Nighttime Fire Chasing......

So last night we had a storm. Ground lightening like you would not believe. It was something to watch. And watch it I did...till the air started to sizzle and I dashed back into the house before I became a crispy critter.

Around 9 DH and I decided that it was time to go and lay our weary bodies down. So off we went. He had been up since around 3 am and was out like a light in all of 5 minutes. Me...I take a tad longer to relax so I sit and read for awhile. Finally the droopy eye syndrome started to catch up with me and I turned off the light.

Hum...what was the strange glow to the north west????

I jumped out of bed fell over my house shoes, bumped into the bed and stumbled over to the window. It was a fire, a big grass fire, burning ........oh somewhere to the northwest of the house. I sure did hate to wake sleeping beauty, but it had to be done.

Whispering....."B"....he groans. Whispering again..."B". He turns over and groans again. Louder..."B" we maybe on fire! Whoops! I forgot to mention it was the pasture and not the house.

Nothing like a wife telling a man "we have a fire" to get him up and stirring around. I tell ya.

After he came to his senses and I showed him out the window the fire, he just moaned and groaned again, and commenced to get his britches on.

Off we went in a blaze of...well something. Sure not glory. The loaner pickup that he is driving is a hazard. It should be condemned. I hate riding in it. I hate riding in it in the night with DH at the wheel going to a fire. One spring is broke which makes for a very strange kind of ride. He drives fast and it is top heavy with the cake feeder on it and it sways to and fro. Feels like you or on a boat. Here we go down this two rut road at top speed. It clangs, it bangs, it sways. I hang on to the little handle above the door. White knuckled grip so to speak. Finally when he bounces me so hard my head hits the roof, I have to say something. Can't help it. Can't remember it, I think I had a smallish type of concussion. But he did put the whoa on it...for a bit.

We come to the end of his country and about two miles on the neighbor there it is. A pretty good sized grass fire. So he calls the fire department. Yep they know all about it. Yep they are in the area. Nope they can't tell how to get back there to it. Yep they would love for DH to meet them at mile maker 14 and take them back in. We turn around and head back to the highway about 5 miles to the south. 5 very bumpy miles on a washed out road that I am not even sure a cow would go down. We had just came up it...did I mention a smallish type of concussion? So I knew we could go back down it but by this time my bladder was screaming....STOP! Why do things like that always hit at the most opportune times? Finally after dodging a huge washed place going down a steep washed out road I had to demand a bathroom break. Had to. Of course it was raining and lightening was hitting all around, I just prayed to the Lord to please not let me be struck down doing my business in the dark in the rain on a rutted out road with a fire crew on their way.

He was merciful, otherwise I would not be here telling you this story.

We get to the highway. No fire crew. We see lights miles down the highway. DH calls the department again. Oh yes they are going to it right now. DH tells them, he knows where they are going and they won't be able to get through that way. They assure DH that they know just where they are and just where they are going.

DH sit's and mutters. He mutters a lot when he is aggravated. Finally he says "well I am driving up there, all they are gona do is get in there and cut my fence, if they get that far back at all."

Off we go into the night. Did I mention we have no tail lights? No? Well we didn't. Did I mention Milk trucks? Milk trucks manned by manics, that appear out of nowhere and try to run down good citizens that are trying to do a good deed. Well If I didn't mention it...just know that we are alive and well..otherwise I would not be here to tell the tale.

We come upon the firetruck. Sitting in the road with his lights on. Just sitting there. Watching another fire truck try to traverse a very very bad road to the north. Made the one we just come off of look like an interstate. DH gets out, in the rain, in the hail, in the deadly lightening and proceeds to try and explain to the driver if he would just follow him he would take him within a few miles of the fire.

Oh no, they knew just where they were going. Here comes another one in a 4-wheel drive something. DH tells him the same thing. Well thank you very much but we have it under control and we have called in BLM. Hum....that means, we don't need your help, we know everything, and the Calvary is coming. DH has only lived here 18 years. He only drives those roads...pretty much daily. He knows what he is talking about for Petes sake! We were within a couple of miles from the blasted fire. A straight shot to the north. But no, they would rather forge through the wilderness. DH stomps back to the pickup gets in and mutters again...something to the effect of," They will let anybody drive a firetruck these days."

Then he said, " we are going home and going to bed. If they get stuck they can call someone else to pull them out, I have had it."

So we did.

Fire was out this morning. He doesn't think they ever got there, and if they did it took them so long that the rain got it out before they did.

God Bless and Happy Trails
RanchWife