My journey through the prison system has now spanned an entire "not football season" as I was able to watch the Super Bowl during my time in maximum security at the DRDC in February. For the past eight years my football seasons have been spent coaching my son, Jack in the game I love; and with the exception of being away from my wife and kids, the greatest punishment that the judge inadvertently gave me was not letting me coach this season and it is killing me.
We recently returned home from the Cabin Lake Fire which was located just outside of Meeker, Colorado; an absolutely beautiful part of the state. The Cabin Lake Fire was a 7,000 acre fire located mostly about 8,000 feet in high timber. As a sawyer on our fire team, it was a dream come true-cutting big timber is so much fun. Unlike all of the other fires that we have battled this year, the Cabin Lake Fire was nearly completely out by the time we arrived.
All the big flames and fire front that we have become accustomed to fighting were long gone by the time we arrived. Our job-for 15 days-was to "mop-up" and grid the entire fire to put our hot spots, cut down hazard trees and generally ensure that the fire wouldn't start up again. Over the two weeks we guided over 100 miles of very steep terrain-it got very boring at times but is a part of a necessary part of the fire suppression process.
The most exciting things that happened during this trip was a bear encounter and a fist fight between two other inmates-it ended really poorly for one of them, thankfully not for the other. (I wish I could write more but my 1st and 2nd Amendment rights are currently in hibernation). We have now spent a total of 57 nights on fires-camping. It has been a life-saver for me; I can't imagine having survived incarceration without it.
The other thing I love about fall is hunting. Ironically enough, there is a big outdoor gun range less than a block from our facility. With hunting season here, there has been a ton of activity over on the range as hunters sight their guns. For those of us who have been here at the facility, it is just part of the background noise to hear the guns going off.
One of our favorite pastimes is to sit out on the benches on Wednesday mornings and watch the new guys (who arrive on Tuesdays) react as the gun shots go off. I've seen everything from the classic belly drop to a full on sprint. I can never figure out who exactly the new guys think is shooting at them. Cops? Bad guys? Whoever they think it, there is genuine fear and pure entertainment for me! I could have so many viral videos of these guys and their reactions if I had a camera. So for now....both the deer and the new inmates are all running from gunfire!
Early on in my DOC experience, Sallie brought it to my attention that I was constantly using prison lingo during our conversations that she did not understand. Rightfully so, there are a lot of words that are specific to this environment. For example, when I was telling her about my celly, she started laughing and asked what that was. I had to think for a split second...cell mate. She knew I wasn't in a "cell" so she was so confused. These days, she reminds me that she is my celly for life so don't get to comfortable...and I tell her I can't wait to be cellies again, prison humor never gets old!
Sallie has asked that I compile a "prison dictionary" of sorts-I am happy to announce that the great literary work is near completion and I will hopefully have it here for you all as my next post.
Here come the hunters, boom goes the gun.
All the deer and inmates go run, run, run....
Brandon Stephens, Weld County Jail, Wood Group, Sentenced, 5 Years, Prison, NFL, DRDC, Rifle Correctional Center, Colorado Department of Corrections, Jail, Judge Quammen, Steve Wrenn, Weld County, Executive, Oil, Gas, White Collar, Wood, BYU, Masters Degree, Colorado State University, SWIFT, Firefighter, Wildland, Sawyer, Fire, Inmate, Brandon Stokey, Miracles, Centennial Community Correctional Center, Delta Correctional Center, DRDC, Denver Diagnostic and Reception Center, Felony, Sallie Stephens, Greeley Tribune, Judge Thomas Quammen, DA Steve Wrenn, Weld County Court, Oil & Gas,. Halfway House, Centennial Community Correction Center, CCTC, Felon, 416 Fire, Silver Creek Fire, Spring Fire, Cabin Lake Fire
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