I was surprised and saddened to hear this.
You see, I'm quite familiar with Four Mile Canyon.
Our first home was there.
154 Escape Route
Mr. Wonderful and I were newlyweds in this home. We hardly had any furniture (because we hardly had any money) and we couldn't afford cable TV. We worked on the house a lot - put in wood floors and painted, and we bought furniture at garage sales or at unpainted furniture stores and we stripped, sanded and refinished them.
Mr. Wonderful posing in the newly renovated living room 
Mr. Wonderful aka Mr. Handyman
A young me (with some funky hair going on!) sitting on a newly finished table without chairs. We couldn't afford them!
As I said, we didn't have cable TV - but sometimes, if we fiddled with the antenna and the weather was nice, we could watch a fuzzy version of the news from Cheyenne, WY. We rented movies. We read books. There were no cell phones or home computers in those days. We went hiking and biking. We had a garden. Well, we tried to have a garden - the deer usually ate everything up! At Christmastime, I walked into the woods and cut down a tree, and then dragged it back to the house through the snow. I did!
A young Mr. Wonderful looking at something on the ceiling - a Christmas tree I cut down is next to him.
Life was simple, and peaceful, and quiet. It was the perfect honeymoon house. Deer came into our yard. So did mountain lions, and bears. I would hear the mountain lions walking across our roof sometimes at night. Usually on nights when Mr. Wonderful was on a trip. They freaked me out just a bit!
The view from our living room
Again with the funky hair...and WHAT was I wearing?
Today I am wondering if our old house is still there.
I am praying for those families who are waiting to hear if their homes are still standing. I am remembering the early years of our marriage and how happy we were living at 154 Escape Route.
Looking down at our little 4WD Geo Tracker in the driveway. I loved that car...had it until I was 7 months pregnant with C and we traded it in for the '94 Civic, which just died this summer.
I heard that the firefighters did manage to save Gold Hill - an old mining town. I am happy to hear this. Gold Hill also holds dear memories for us. Special occasions, such as birthdays, were always celebrated at the Gold Hill Inn - a wonderful restaurant which was only open in the summer.
The road our house was on was called Escape Route, because it was the escape route down the mountain in case of a fire. It is a twisty-turny dirt road. Finding our house for the first time, back in the pre-GPS days, was an adventure. Some of you who read this blog have been to that house, and you can attest to that!
I hope our house is still standing. It is a special place and holds many memories for Mr. Wonderful and I and probably, hopefully, for a few of you as well!
