re: #43 HypnoToad

Undergrowth on the observatory grounds is well controlled, but the pine forest is fairly dense. We had to jump through several hoops and wait quite some time to get permission to cut one tree that was encroaching on the view from the 100” dome.

During the Yellowstone fires in 1988, fire swept to within a few hundred yards of the Old Faithful Inn, one of the gems of the National Park System’s lodging establishments. Staff volunteered to remain behind, and deployed on the roof with brooms, brushing off embers as they landed on the log structure. A shift of wind literally at the last minute drove the fires away from the building and it survived. It has since installed an elaborate fire suppression system that dumps a waterfall from the ridgeline over the entire structure.

Keeping my fingers crossed for Mt. Wilson. Best of luck to everyone there.