Posted by: Scott | Friday, June 29, 2007

Smoke, Pollution, and Highways in Wyoming

A couple of random, yet almost semi-related items:

  • OK, it’s not as bad as last summer, but smoke has returned to our skies in Cody. And since there are now a number of tourists here, if they are not following the local news, they might think that Cody has a bad case of pollution like you would see in the Denver of Phoenix metro areas. For the record, the brownish haze that you might see while you’re in Cody is from as many as three or four fires in the region. Check out InciWeb.org for the latest info on fires in the area, including the Citadel Fire, southwest of Cody.
  • The Reason Foundation has released their 50 state traffic and Highway analysis for 2005. Here’s the scoop on The Cowboy State:
    • Wyoming
      2005 Overall Rank: 7
      2004 Overall Rank: 9
      Mileage under state control | 7404
      Total disbursements per mile | $57558.48 (Rank: 11)
      Rural interstate miles in poor condition | 1.33% (Rank: 31)
      Rural primary road miles in poor condition| 0.05% (Rank: 13)
      Urban interstate miles in poor condition | 12.22% (Rank: 41)
      Urban interstate miles congested | 0% (Rank: 1)
      Rural primary roads with narrow lanes | 1.86% (Rank: 14)
      Fatality rate per 100 million miles | 1.877 (Rank: 39)
      Deficient bridges | 12.37% (Rank: 3)

    The one thing I can’t figure out is where are these “urban highways” in Wyoming???

Posted in Announcements!, Main, Misc., Newsworthy, Obviously, On the road again, State (WY)

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Responses

Forest fires are scary and sad. Every time I see somebody throw a cigarette butt out their car window, I just want to scream, do you *want* another Hayman fire? That fire (biggest in Co history) almost burnt down my aunt and uncle’s house. People talk about that fire all the time and it happened five years ago.

By: Jennifer on Friday, June 29, 2007
at 10:18 PM

Ever wonder why wild fires seem to be so easy to start, but campfires are hard to start. Makes you say hmmmmmmmmmm???

Scott, just updated my blog. You’re invited to come read it.

Ida R.
ontheidar.wordpress.com

By: ontheidar on Friday, June 29, 2007
at 11:21 PM

Ahhh, yes, the Hayman Fire. I remember reading about that when I was in college. Wow, does that statement make me sound old or what? :-) Sounds like the Hayman Fire is to Colorado what the Yellowstone Fire of 1988 is to Wyoming.

Of course one major problem is that in Yellowstone, the chard lodgepole pines are still standing like toothpicks, and if they aren’t standing, they are laying on the ground waiting for the next bolt of lightning. On the plus side, there are now great masses of pine trees that are 4-5 feet tall.

By: Scott on Saturday, June 30, 2007
at 4:21 AM

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