Beervana Burning
Source: KATU
For months, the skies in Oregon have had an orange cast, getting worse the further south you travel. Over the weekend, teenagers sparked one of the most shocking wildfires in memory in the Columbia River Gorge. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this region, that's the large waterway separating Oregon and Washington State, just east of Portland. It is one of of the state's great natural wonders, and a playground for the city's residents. It's quickly being turned from one of the most beautiful places on earth into a blackened cinder. In a matter of a couple days, it has sprawled to 10,000 acres and is encroaching on the eastern suburbs of the city.
I fled the city on Monday because we were entering another triple-digit heat wave, but even the coast is shrouded in skies that feel otherworldly, like we're on Tatooine. Our car was stippled with ash this morning. Oregon has never been the center of the national conversation, Portland never as important as Seattle or San Francisco. Oregonians, nearly to a person, have always felt that its natural beauty was unrivaled. We are all in shock today to watch our gorgeous, verdant little refuge turn to ash.
Not sure how this will affect blogging going forward, but beer is not first in my mind.
There were no clouds on the beach when I took this photo--that's all smoke.
Cover photo: Oregonian