Where the deer and the antelope play....

Leaving New Mexico early this morning toward Loveland, Colorado, we counted more than twenty deer and pronghorn antelope grazing on lush green grass.  The mountains were barely visible, as though covered with a dull haze - which we learned was smoke from raging wildfires.  As we neared Colorado Springs, three plumes of smoke were evident on the eastern horizon.  One larger black plume of smoke seemed to have the most fury, shooting upward as though fueled by a giant woodpile.  Helicopters were working to calm the action , dropping buckets of water.  There was no slowdown in traffic; locals tell us wildfires are frequent disasters during the hot dry summer days.  My hope is that the wildlife was able to flee from danger.