My friends John and Mary took a drive up Vanocker Canyon west of Sturgis a couple of weeks ago. They said the wildflowers are truly wild this summer. The meadows and fields are afire with color.

Indeed, the Black Hills are greener than I’ve ever seen them. We’ve had 14.08 inches of precipitation this year, about 4 inches above normal. It has resulted in an unbelievably lush countryside. We’re no where near a rain forest, but at least the Black Hills don’t look like a forest fire waiting to happen.

Yesterday, John and I took a hike along Rapid Creek near Placerville. And yes, it was green. We walked through ferns standing two feet high. The slate cliffs above us wore a garland of green. And the wilflowers were soaking up the summer sun.

It’s a very good hike. You can see remnants of the old Crouch Line Railroad here and there, mostly old pilings and fat weathered planks. But mostly it’s the natural beauty of Rapid Creek that makes the hike attractive.

I saw someone from the Forest Service on TV recently with a slightly different view. He was talking about all this greenery as “fuel.” And when we get to the dog days of summer, that fuel will dry out. We could have a scary fire season ahead of us after all.

Don’t rain on our parade.