We live in Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation looking at 13,000 and 14,000 feet mountain peaks from our deck. We purchased the lot that contained an Everest 5th Wheel that had cost the seller $66,000. The previous owner had only used the trailer six weeks in five years so the 5th wheel was like new inside and outside. The 5th Wheel had been delivered from the dealer in Denver to the lot and never moved. The lot was .25 acre tree covered lot with several different kinds of pine and spruce trees.

After we moved to this mountain retreat for the summer six years ago, we had a huge deck constructed as a launching pad to watch the game and mountain peaks. The deck went the full length of the 39′ trailer and around the front that had a large picture window with view into the forest behind our place. The land behind our place is Bureau of Land Management land that cannot be built on, so our view is preserved. We also had two large sheds, built by an elderly man, that live 50 mile from our place. He built the sheds and delivered them and set them in place. They were 10X12 feet with an additional four foot porch. One shed was for my wife and the other one was for me. She named mine “The Doghouse”. One very large pine tree is located just in front of the slide out on the door side. We had a bench that seats eight people built around the tree. They estimate that pine tree is 150 years old.

We have a cinder brick and metal fire pit for campfires when they are permitted. About half of the summers there are fire bans due to the dry conditions and the danger of setting a forest fire. We also have a Rockwood popup camper with two queen beds behind our place as a guest accomodation. There are three service centers on the level we live on that have six bathrooms for men, six bathrooms for women,sinks and showers. Also we get drinking water from a hydrant outside the service center. There is also a dump for the blueboys that contain waste from the campers and trailers by each service center.

Two miles below our high mountain community location is a clubhouse, a large swimming pool, tennis court , shuffle board court , volleyball, and cow pasture golf course.

We come to our place in Colorado about the first of June and leave in mid October when the temperature is again hitting freezing.

WE LOVE OUR PLACE IN CORA AND LOOK FORWARD TO EACH DAY IN THIS BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN RETREAT GOD HAS CREATED.

Wednesday June 27th a column of smoke could be seen about two miles to the west of CORA. Several people ask to be on our deck to see the smoke and fire that began showing amid the smoke. Later that day the camp facilities manager came by and said if that fire comes over that ridge we are going to ask you to evacuate. The next morning the facilities manager and camp hosts reported the fire had increased from 35 acres to 65 acres and they had 66 firemen and two helicopters help put it out. That night they reported the fire was under control and had sent the helicopters back to their base 30 miles away by 5:30 to save money, they only kept 16 firefighters on the fire that night. The next morning high winds whipped the fire into a totally uncontrollable forest fire that had spread to hundreds of acres. There was dry undercover and grass and lots of pine trees. When burning trees the smoke was black and gray and white when it raced across meadows. It appeared that no one was fighting the fire and it was threatening to cross the ridge that would threaten CORA. There are 500 properties up here at our level and 300 properties on the lower level near U.S. Highway 285. U.S. Highway 285 is a very busy corridor that people from Denver jam each weekend in their pursuit to the mountains. The county and the firefighting people admitted they had no control. The Forest Service took over control of the “Weston Pass Fire” as it was named. They brought in over 600 firefighters, used several helicopters with slings to drop water obtained from a nearby pond and Antero Reservoir. A DC-10 plane entered the effort dropping slurry and designated areas. The fire raged on and on Saturday it crossed the ridge and was moving towards CORA.

On Saturday they had a voluntary evacuation of CORA, we left at that time. We were flying out to Nashville on July 1st to celebrate my birthday at a family reunion in Nashville at my son’s home. On Sunday the fire had advanced so far that it was threatening CORA. The county issued a mandetory evacuation and had the sheriff control the gates so no one could come in or out. Even the camp managers, camp hosts, facility director, and board members were forced to leave.

Since the fire fighters and the U.S. Forest Service people come from all over the United States , they were unfamiliar with the area where they are fighting the fires.

FORTUNATELY RAFAEL ESPARZA, WHO WAS THE PREVIOUS CORA MANAGER, AND OWNED A RANCH ACROSS FROM CORA ON U.S. HWY 285, DECIDED TO GO TO THE GATE AND SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE MET THE FOREST SERVICE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRE MANAGEMENT AT THE GATE AND INTRODUCED HIMSELF. THE FIRE MANAGER EXPRESSED HIS CONFIDENCE THAT THEY COULD SAVE THE AREA SURROUNDING WHERE THEY WERE STANDING BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF TREES , HE FELT THEY COULD SAVE THE 300 TRAILERS , PARK MODELS, MOTOR HOMES, THE CLUBHOUSE, THE POOL AND THE CORRAL BUILDINGS AND GARAGES. RAFAEL ASK WHAT ABOUT THE 500 HUNDRED PROPERTIES ON TOP OF THAT MOUNTAIN? THE FIRE MANAGER WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THERE WAS FIVE HUNDRED PROPERTIES ON THE TREE LADEN MOUNTAIN ABOVE THE AREA THEY WERE PROTECTING. RAFAEL TOOK THE FIRE MANAGER ON A GUIDED TOUR OF THE UPPER LEVEL TWO MILES ABOVE THE AREA THE FIRE FIGHTERS WERE ENTRENCHED. THE FIRE MANAGER WAS SHOCKED AND NOW WAS REALLY CONCERNED THAT THEY PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT THIS AREA WITHOUT A LOT MORE RESOURCES.”

To the fire manager’s credit he developed a plan with big tubs and PVC piping and sprinkler heads and had his men start constructing a huge sprinkler system on top of the mountain where we live. He called in more helicopters and they had many slurry drops over the next few days. Even after a week the fire was still out of control with only a small percentage of control. The winds shifted away from CORA some days and towards CORA a couple of days. It was touch and go.

While in Nashville , my wife and I were constantly looking at our tablets, and phones to get the fire reports. We had a report from friends that own property in CORA, they were sure it was going to be destroyed at one point and we were in the mode, where do we go without a home? We purchased a home in Casa Grande, Arizona in May, so we could go there. We stayed at my son’s near Colorado Springs while we were waiting to see when we would be allowed to return to our property. The fire continued and each day the firefighters reported on the wind directions and speed and it did not sound good for CORA. Then about the 10th day, we had more encouraging reports, there were lots of hot spots in the area near CORA but the fire had moved to the west over the top of Buffalo Peak that we see from our deck. The fire manager warned that the wind could change the situation. On the 12th day the first rain hit the area but it was only a half inch rain. Also an unheard of tornado hit within a half mile of CORA and uprooted some trees. Tornados just don’t usually occur at higher elevations.

You know when ask to evacuate and take only what you treasure most. We were at a loss as to what was important to us? We took a newer TV , our computers , my wife’s sewing machine, two suitcases full of clothes. We did not take any coats since we had just come from Arizona, we forgot it is cold in Colorado at night. We took the box with our important papers. We had property insurance. But the lot would probably drop in value dramatically if the trees had burned, so the lot would have been near worthless.

July 12th, Fourteen days after the fire began, the camp manager reported that the CORA owners could return to their property at 7 P.M. that night. All of the owners expressed their appreciation for the firefighters and camp management in saving CORA. THANK GOD FOR FIREFIGHTERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND CAMP MANAGEMENT! WE ARE NOW BACK IN OUR HOME IN CORA. THE VIEW IS DIFFERENT, AN AREA ONLY A HALF MILE AWAY IS BURNED AND THE MOUNTAINS WE VIEW LOOK LIKE A QUILT PATTERN RATHER THAN A GREEN TREE LADEN MOUNTAIN. AND SINCE OUR RETURN WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL RAIN AND THUNDER STORMS. TWO NIGHTS AGO A ONE INCH RAIN STORM OCCURRED AND FLOODED SOME PROPERTIES ON THE LOWER LEVEL AND BROUGHT BLACK FOREST FIRE DEBRI TO THE AREA AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE. IT ALSO WASHED OUT A CULVERT ON U.S. 285 AND AGAIN IT IS CLOSED FOR THREE DAYS TO REPLACE THE CULVERT. OUR CAMP HOST SAID, “FOREST FIRE, EVACUATION, TORNADO, FLOOD , WHAT NEXT?”