The times, they are a-changin'

Come gather 'round, people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you is worth savin'

And you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'

Bob Dylan

Mr. Dylan's prophetic words certainly rang true this Labor Day weekend. Colorado saw temps from the 90's plummet to freezing conditions and snow. Wildfires raging in our state and those to the west brought flakes of ash that were soon replaced by snowflakes. And it was just the first week of September. I was fortunate, along with apparently the majority of the population of the front range, to spend the holiday weekend up in the Colorado High Country. From stand-up-paddleboarding at Twin Lakes to crowd-watching along the main street of Leadville there were tons of people everywhere. Fortunately the smoke where I was wasn't horrible until Monday when you would have thought there was a fire right next door. For the first time in my life I actually didn't ride my beloved bike because the smoke was so thick. It actually gave you a sore throat just breathing and the ubiquitous COVID mask actually served a secondary purpose as a filter against the wildfire particulates. 

One of my nieces and her friend spent a couple of days with us but left before Monday's smoke. The picture above is my niece doing a handstand on her paddle board, something I, being the wimp that I am, did not even attempt to emulate. Then again, I know from first-hand experience how chilly the waters of Twin Lakes are even when the air temps head north of 80 degrees. They are both young adults and it makes one wonder what the world will be like over the course of their lifetimes. 2020 will forever be remembered for COVID but as bad as that virus has proven to be it may pale compared with some of the other things going on that my niece Payton and her friend Kaylee will be dealing with long after I'm gone. 

Today's Denver Post had an article on climate change and how its only going to get worse. I know, old news right? But just consider some of the items the article pointed out:

• A record amount of California is burning
• Parts of Oregon that usually never burn are also alight
• Colorado's wildfires have set new records for acreage burned
• The Atlantic has seen 17 named tropical storms, a record for this time of year
• Last month it hit 130 degrees (what does that even feel like?) in Death Valley
• Phoenix, AZ hit records on Sunday of 112 degrees after seeing 115 degrees the preceding day. There hadn't been a day below 100 degrees since July 23rd
• Siberia, not known for its balmy climate, saw temps of 100 degrees on June 20th

And, according to Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb "It's going to get a LOT worse" in years to come. There may even come a time, in twenty or fifty years, folks look back on the 2020's as the good old days. Hard to fathom that living in this moment, but who knows?

And while I can't match the list above with my own observations I can attest to the fact that the Colorado Aspen are starting to change color early this year (it seems I've been saying that for the last couple of years so maybe I am seeing a trend?). Don't believe me, just watch the video I shot this last weekend in one grove of Aspen near Forebay Reservoir above Twin Lakes. As Bob says, the times they are a-changin'.