Saludo, amigos.
Last night, Stephanie called me on her way home after dropping me off to say that the banks of the Minnesota River were burning. So I thought about it all night, and on my way back home around 1am, I got all the way to the driveway before turning around and continuing on south to see the fires. It was one of those things I knew I’d regret not doing. Minnesota is not the kind of place prone to grass fires, especially close to town. So this was a novelty. I drove across the Cedar Avenue bridge and could see some small fires from up above, but was turned back by a National Guardsman near the river. I went back up to the other river crossing at 494, near the airport and that big mall thing. The fire was burning right up to the road, climbing up trees overhanging the freeway. The smoke was denser than any fog I’d ever seen. I was trying to figure out why all the oncoming cars had only their parking lights on, then realized that their headlights just looked like tiny orange dots through the smoke. And the smell… I expected bonfire, something natural and earthy. Instead, it smelled exactly like that time our building burned down a little, then a few days later burned down a lot. The one that will always mean displacement and loss. It made my skin crawl. I went up to the first exit and headed back the other direction, towards my house. Coming down the hill, the scene was even more surreal. There was a huge plume of fire and smoke blocking out the glare from the airport and mall parking lot in the distance, which made the whole area darker than I’d ever seen it. There were cops lined up along the side of the road with their lights flashing. I started to feel lightheaded and wondered if I’d pass out right in the middle of it. It’s just my style to do so, so I did what I could to not live up to expectations. I woke up this morning with a hell of a headache, and my eyes and throat hurt. But I’m still glad I went. Also, I have arrived at a conclusion regarding my occasionally-weird urges: I’m a huge fan of those experiences that can only be judged in retrospect. It didn’t kill me, therefore it was awesome. Jenni