U.S. Route 180 | Sage to Meadow ~ Jack Matthews

Tag Archives: U.S. Route 180

April 20, 2011 · 7:09 am

Possum Kingdom area map and weather lifts 20 APR 11

To give you an idea of the extent of the Possum Kingdom Complex Fire, here is a map with pertinent marks. The distance legend is at the bottom as well as the location of our place — “Matthews (Flying Hat).” The green lines indicate the field observations I have made the last few days — going north from Flying Hat on SH 108, SH 919 to US 180, then east and west to the Stephens County line, then southward along SH 16 to Strawn.

Wildfires were observed yesterday, NORTH of US 180 and WEST of SH 16 to Strawn — thirty-six miles of the sub-route. Many of those were fire spots that were lessening in intensity.

The temperature this morning at the Matthews Place is 65 deg., humidity is 20 percent. In looking at the National Weather forecast, there were NO Red Flag Warnings for today!

I will be writing a post later today. With a click of your mouse, you may enlarge the map for obligatory detail.

Matthews Place north to Possum Kingdom Lake (The Roads of Texas map set, 1988).

Wildfire near Strawn, Texas (photo by Tom Pennington, New York Times, April 20, 2011).

Notes:

Corrections: italics used to emphasize and word added that these were observations made yesterday. Large caps used to indicate NORTH and WEST in locations.

Sentence added that some hot spots were lessening in intensity yesterday.

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Filed under Wildfire

Tagged as Gordon Volunteer Fire Department, New York Times, Palo Pinto evacuation, Possum Kingdom Fire, Possum Kingdom Lake, Strawn Volunteer Fire Department, Texas Forest Service, Texas State Highway 108, U.S. Route 180

April 18, 2011 · 4:01 pm

100 degrees and fire at Possum Kingdom 18 APR 11

After transferring items between two trailers here on our place, I ate a ham sandwich and departed for the northern part of our region, up SH 108, FM 919 through Gordon and up to US 180, approximately twenty miles away. I turned west on US 180 and drove to the Stephens County-Palo Pinto County, Texas line. I had not driven farther two days ago than the SH 16 highway intersection.

The magnitude of this fire stuns me. From Ioni Creek to the Stephens County line on US 180, about ten miles or so, the country is blackened and hot spots still smolder in the hills. As I approached the intersection of US 180 and SH 16, I looked out the window of my F-150 and saw the beginning of a huge fire eruption at Possum Kingdom East.

Click the photographs with your mouse to enlarge and get detail.

Looking north from US 180 near intersection of SH 16, PK East Fire.

I drove farther from the SH 16- US 180 intersection — Highway Patrol blocked SH 16 north — and saw blackened countryside all the way to the Stephens County line. I turned around and came back down US 180 and here is a shot of the smoke cloud.

Smoke cloud of PK East Fire on US 180 headed east back to SH 16 and Strawn.

I saw at least ten fires — not counting the hot spots — along US 180 and SH 16. Rio Vista, Joshua, Granbury and other volunteer units were scattered along the highway. With the outbreak of at least two fires northwest of Strawn, I saw the Cunningham Fire Department go into a ranch, led by the rancher and authorities.

Through-traffic in Strawn is prohibited and I cut across the country, using Davidson Cemetery Road to get back home. Highway 16 in Strawn is scattered with vehicles and fire trucks.

I don’t like disaster-pandering posts. I think they are bad form and take the mind away from applying its powers to correct defects that caused disasters in the first place. Tours of Chernobyl are disgusting. These events in my region — I am about fifteen-to-twenty miles south from the fires that have gone on for days it seems to me — are uncommon. I’ve lived most of my life in Texas, in this region, and I’ve never seen fires like this. My immediate surrounds in north Erath County are green and we’ve been fortunate. Mingus, my mailing address, and Gordon, six-miles away, were ordered to evacuate several days ago. As soon as these events are over, I will be glad to post on verbena and milkweed.

Tomorrow the Fire Weather Watch forecast is worse. Today, it’s 100 deg. and wind at 20-25 m.p.h., humidity low. If it gets worse, I won’t go to teach in Abilene, but stay here and monitor the place.