I am still in Colorado but have gone up to Westcliffe for a few days. I am surrounded by Mullein (V. Thapsus) and many species of oat grasses. Just across the valley lies the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.

I will be leaving towards them to hike the Rainbow trail at 10am. This is exciting as I will be exposed to a vast array of mountain wild flowers, many unaccessible in other regions.

Along the trail I found Yarrow, Mullein (of course), aspen daisy, and red Elderberry. The appearance of Elderberry was a welcome reminder of the southeast. Alabama is full of S. Canadensis which is rather potent and even available commercially. But I had never even heard of S. Racemosa, but due to its rarity I Will leave it at that with no further study by me.

My day of course involves some form of storm news and what not. Today in researching the storms and the civilian response efforts, I believe this is my generations 9/11.

Though testament should of course still be given to those lost on that cold September morning; I think it's important to see the efforts made then and now, finding the similarities. When it boils down to it we're all just humans trying to survive. No red, blue, black, white, or polka dot; just humans.

I do think a more appropriate comparison is Katrina and her following storms though. But the devastation seen from Katrina was vastly different from Helene. The terrain alone complicates efforts ten fold. The impacts the IoT (internet of things) has made are remarkable and ripple through all media outlets eventually. People want to be good and help each other, they just need to know when and where. I'm eager to watch as it develops.