Month: August 2009

Brush Fire near Toro Park

4:30 pm – nothing further, so looks like they got it.

3:30 pm -CHP reported about 5 minutes ago, a brush fire on 68 near Toro Park. Given all the houses across the street, and the importance of this corridor, I will predict they will be all over this puppy and have it well taken care of this afternoon. Not too hot today, winds calm. Perfect for early control. For those of you not familiar with the area, Highway 68 (corrected from 69, thanks, Ken) connects the Monterey Penninsula with the Salinas Valley. Ranch land still covers the southern side of the 2-lane (mostly) highway, with houses on the north side. Toro Park is on the south side.

And I was just writing a blog entry about how peaceful this Sunday afternoon had been. Well, it still is, here.

Weekend Weather & yay-hoo updates

9:30 pm, and all is quiet here on Top o’ the World. Before sunset, I went and checked the back gate. No campers. No illegal fires. I went and checked the front gate. Same. Now, I go outside and check Prewitt Ridge — lots of lights, but no campfires. All quiet here on the western front. *sigh* Thank you, Goddess, Buddha, and all the other powers that be.

As you all know, there is a 20% chance of thunder showers through Sunday. Frankly, I’d rather deal with Mother Nature than with stupidity, but chances of fire are every where, until the first real rains of the season. It is just part of the life of living in the wilderness.

This morning’s NOAA discussion includes: “ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH SHOWERS EXPECTED LATE MORNING IN
SOUTHEAST PORTION OF FORECAST AREA DOWN AROUND SOUTHERN MONTEREY
AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES WITH SLOW PROGRESSION TO DIABLO RANGE
ADJACENT TO SAN JOSE BY LATE AFTERNOON AND LINGERING INTO THE
EVENING HOURS.”

Okay, so it is late morning, and nothing yet. Of course, this specifically says, “southeast” so hopefully won’t affect the coast, particularly the lightning.

Last night’s Rave party was calm, as far as I could see and hear. No trouble. I can look out with my binoculars and see a HUGE number of vehicles, all along the top of the ridge, back toward the east of the ridge, down below on the south side, in the actual camp area, and at least one vehicle, way below the camp, south east from it, where I’ve never seen vehicles before.

I did not go out to check on the Cayucas yay-hoos (think accent here, not misspelling) last night, as I had my hands full with Prewitt.

I woke to the sounds of gunfires and dogs barking in response, this morning. Lots of shots means either a couple of bad shots, or a bunch of hunters. I’m betting on the latter. At some point today I will probably patrol some of the area, but it is a work day for me.

Kate goes ballistic – campfire @ front gate & Rave Party at Prewitt

Got a couple stories to tell, one with photos. It is a story about life in this wilderness I call home, and it is not easy. It is a story of campfires when the temperatures are in the 90’s next to highly ignitable vegetation at a time when the news has carried stories of wildfires up and down the state. Two stories — one day. The day starts with one, detours, and ends where it began.

I got a call this afternoon from Geri.”Hey, Kate. There’s a Rave Party at Prewitt Camp this weekend. Can you see Prewitt Camp?”

“Oh, yeah, Geri. It’s straight across from me. I’ll keep an eye on it tonight for campfires. I can see them for miles up here.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

I went to Cambria to send something for work, and was enjoying the coolness of the coast. I stopped to see Lynne at the campground. It was full, she was stressed, and I knew Plaskett and other spots around here would be stressed. I got my camera out.

All up the road there were trucks. Seemed to me mostly hunters, but I took photos of all the license numbers, just in case. I love that I can do that. I used to write them down, but sometimes I can be dyslexic with numbers. Plus, cameras date and time stamp them.

I am almost home, long past the “No Trespassing” signs, coming around a corner, when I see a truck parked in the turn-out just before my gate. That’s my property. Oh, boy, I think, I’ve got to have a talk with this yay-hoos. You know how many signs they drove by?? No less than eight. EIGHT.

Then, I see it. FIRE!! They had a campfire!! OMG!! I screeched in there, jumped out of the car, as only a one-legged 60 year-old crone can, WITH camera, and started simultaneously yelling and snapping photos. The fire is behind that blue chair.
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“What the HELL do you think you are doing?? Put that thing OUT!! NOW!!”

“Hey, lady, calm down. Don’t get upset.”

“Don’t get upset? Have you lost your fucking minds? There are NO campfires in the forest right now. PUT IT OUT!! NOW!!”

“Okay, okay, just calm down, will you??”

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“Calm down?? I am not going to calm down until you put that OUT!! There are signs posted NO CAMPFIRES!”

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“Yeah, well, I have selective seeing. We will put it out.”

“Yes, you will and I won’t leave until you do.”
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“We did a good job of creating the fire ring. We were careful, see?”

“You see those manzanita bushes? They are full of flammable oil.”

“Manzanita?? Isn’t that Madrone?”

“No. It is manzanita. And see that Ponderosa Pine right next to you? That goes up like a roman candle.” The shaved head giggles. They’ve been drinking, and smoking pot, it seems.

“They have campfires in the campground, right? Why not up here?”

Duh … how many reasons do you want?

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“Now that we are putting it out, can we still camp here?”

“No.”

“Well, can we come to your house?”

“No, go down past the ‘No Trespassing’ signs and camp where you want. No fires, though. Do you have a propane camp stove? Those are allowed.”

“Is that one of those things you get at Big 5?” they said, giggling.

“Then I guess it is a cold dinner for you tonight.”

Now, on to the Prewitt Rave Party….

Shortly after I got home, I heard the sound of the drums. They sounded as if they were right below me, but I already knew about the Rave Party, so I figured it was them, and the echos reached across the canyon to sound so close. The dogs went OFF! Trespassers — noisy trespassers, they seemed to say. I let them bark, I had groceries to carry in, lights to turn on, and things to do, one of which was to call the head Law Enforcement guy for the LPNF and let him know about the Cayucos yay-hoos.

After my story, he told me about the Rave Party.

“Yeah, I heard about that.” I said. “I will be keeping an eye out, that’s for sure.”

“Good,” he said. “Over 200 people are expected, and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has been notified. They’ve been told no fires, so if you see one, call it in.”

“You want me to call 911?”

“Yes, please.”

The drums stopped within 10 minutes or so, but my 2d male dog would not shut up. He heard them, even if I could not. I watched, all throughout the preparation of this post, as more and more headlights showed themselves coming out on the ridge. At 10:00 pm, they were still coming. I look for campfires and see none. I see lights. I use my binoculars, if there is any question, and I know that I will watch until I get sleepy.

The USFS Fire Station in Hunter-Liggett is on alert, just in case, the MCSO is on alert, the scanners are all aware of the potential for a dangerous situation.

Should I go and check on the Cayucas yay-hoos before I go to bed? Is this even in my job description? I guess it is, if I live up here at the Top ‘o the World.

That’s it for tonight, ladies and gentlemen. I must work this weekend, but I will be checking on our temporary inhabitants for the next couple of days. Boy, I sure cannot wait for Labor Day. Hopefully, things will quiet down.

Smoke Smells ??

I got a call this morning indicating a number of people in various areas down here on the South Coast were smelling smoke, most of whom are under the inversion layer. So, I investigated.

From up here, above the fog, there is SOME smoke drift from the north, I’m guessing still from the Lockheed Fire, which has grown, but is over 75% contained. The inversion layer appears to be quite high, but I cannot tell how thick it is. I can only guess that the smoke is “stuck” under the inversion layer. I see no plumes, no indication of any fresh fires.

LPNF WildCAD reported a wildfire yesterday morning at Jolon Rd. and MPRC (not sure what that is), that has been confirmed, but it was controlled yesterday, and is providing little additional smoke today.

I will keep a watchful eye, although a Farmer’s Market may beckon me …

Save the date! 9/27/09

Yes, there is going to be a benefit for Don Case, who lost his home and all it contained in the Basin Fire, but not his many friends and family. The event will be held at the Henry Miller Library. It will include: a 200 person, $50 dollar per ticket evening of food, wine, film, music. Mike Gilson of CPOA is leading the charge, with the marvelous support and organizational talent of Patte Kronlund. I’ve already got my tickets reserved.

Mike has promised to get back to me with the details of the event, and I will, of course, share them here. I also will post how you can donate, if you are unable to attend the event. Stay tuned …

Brookdale Lodge Fire

Last night, a fire broke out at the historical Brookdale Lodge in the San Lorenzo Valley of the Santa Cruz Mtns. Fortunately, crews were still on hand for the Lockheed Fire. It did not destroy the Lodge or the Restaurant, but was confined to the apts. in the back where staff lived. I love that place, although it has seen better days. I’ve always described her as a grand old dame. I have stayed there a number of times, always enjoying the locals bar and the restaurant. In the article below, it says a new owner took over in 2007. I have not been there in the last few years, so perhaps his intention to restore her has brought back some of her former glory. The history of the place is fascinating, and the creek running through the Bavarian-like Restaurant is sweet.

The article, including photographs, in the Santa Cruz Sentinel can be found here: Brookdale Lodge Fire Article

Here is just one of the Sentinel photographs:
Brookdale Lodge Fire

You might wonder why I am reporting on this. I consider SLO and SC my neighbors. I have a love of old historical buildings, like the Brookdale Lodge. I love that place. That’s three reasons.

BSMAAC Meeting Notes, 7/31/2009

Well, I promised my summary of the meeting, and then got sidetracked with fires – Ponderosa, Sam Jones, La Brea, and Lockheed. They are all wrapped up, and so I can get back to my planned communications. Now, I’m not sure I can make sense of my notes, after almost 3 weeks, but I’ll do my best.

I think the most exciting thing to come out of the meeting was the prospect for Broadband internet down the coast. The plan is to lay fiber optic all the way to the county line, hooking in various areas, including Captain Cooper School, the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade and Pacific Valley School. It is very exciting, but many, many rural communities in America are competing for funds. Leading the efforts for us is Arlene Krebs of CSUMB. At the time of the meeting, CSUMB only had 2 weeks to put together the grant. Many people are working hard on this to make it a reality. Once the fiber optics are laid along Highway One, assuming we get the grant, Phase II will look at how it can connect those off the Highway. That is a few years down the road, but should be an exciting step forward for many of us.

I, for one, started with a “black box” that connected my Motorola 3 W. bag phone to the modem on my computer. It “fooled” the modem into thinking there was a dial tone. It was $250 just for this magic black box. This was 15 years ago. I had to remember to only dial up after 9 pm and on weekends, or I ended up with an astronomical bill. I remember being excited when I got a baud rate of 7200 bps. 4800 bps was the usual. Then, I went to DirecWay, which became HughesNet. It was great, for a while, and then more, and more problems. Currently, I use a Verizon USB broadband connection with a Wilson Cellular Booster, which boosts my cell power from 1/3 W to 3 W. By far, the best system I have had up here, but of course, it has its limits. I rarely do video. If I want to upload a series of photos, I must sit by the internal antenna, and even then, it can take an inordinate amount of time. I first got on the internet in 1989, before IE, Netscape (I beta tested that, and still have the floppy it came on!), Firefox, or any search engines, but that’s another story.

So, that was the most exciting thing presented. We also heard about the Big Sur Coastal Plan, the new Code Enforcement Ordinance, and reports from member agencies, including meeting out new ranger for the Monterey District, Sherry Tune.

I will report on those later this week, but for now, I also want to remind people to reserve the date of September 27, 2009, when a benefit is being held for Don Case, who lost his home in the Basin Fire last year. The benefit will be held at the Henry Miller Library. I’ll post more details as they become available. We all love you, Don!!

Monday, Monday …

Both the La Brea and the Lockheed Fires turned the corner Saturday night, and they are well on their way to mop-up and de-mobilization, thankfully. Lockheed is 6,843 acres – 65% containment; La Brea is 86,811 acres – 64% containment. We’ve got some terrific firefighting teams. No houses lost in either fire. 2 outbuildings damaged in the Lockheed, and one old, unused Ranger Station in the La Brea. THANK YOU FIREFIGHTERS AND ALL THEIR SUPPORT TEAMS, AT HOME AND ON THE LINE!!

Now, on to other pursuits this week!

And a final note for this Monday — don’t forget the 18th Annual Big Sur Jade Festival is coming up October 9, 10, 11th. No post cards are being sent out this year, as we have grown as much as we can handle!

Tired of Fires

I’m tired of fires. Aren’t you? Let’s take Sunday off and go visit the National Automobile Museum. Going to Hot August Nights? Make sure and stop in and see this treasure. Come, explore some history and Enjoy your Sunday~!~
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I’ll continue to post new shots on and off today.

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That first lovely hood ornament was from this car, but with my artsy photo, I cannot tell what type of car it was — 30’s it looks like. I was interested in getting the ambiance of the street scene in this one. Maybe someone else will recognize it:

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Here is another view of that great blue car, but I still can’t tell what it was. It is the first blue car in the line up. The first, brown & tan car was an early Jaguar. Isn’t it lovely??

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And this one, I got such a kick out of it. I normally don’t like flash photos, but I’ll make an exception here. It is an all copper Rolls Royce, a 1921 Silver Cloud with a 6-cylinder “L” head. It originally cost $16,000.
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Oh, so many lovely cars. Maybe a few more tonight … oh, and I have checked. Both fires turned the corner, La Brea is 60% contained, and Lockheed is at 50%.

Lockheed-Santa Cruz Fire & La Brea Fire, 8/15/09

Cause of La Brea fire revealed. It was a cooking fire at an illegal marijuana grow site. See here for the full article: USFS Press Release

Last update of the evening, unless something untoward happens. First, here is a video of the La Brea Fire, set to music, about 8 mins. long: click here

And now, I leave you with one of Stan Russell’s signature sunset photos taken this evening from Scott Creek and Highway One:

photo

6:00 pm – Lockheed: CalFire reports:
Acres Burned: 6,843 acres
Containment 6,843 acres – 40% containment
Structures Destroyed: 2 outbuildings damaged

La Brea: inciweb reports:

Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,980
Size 75,486 acres
Percent Contained 25%

And lest we forget, 30 years ago today, in an area quite near to the currently burning La Brea fire, 4 firefighters lost their lives on the Spanish Ranch Fire on August 15, 1979. They were: Captain Ed Marty, and firefighters Scott Cox, Ron Lorant and Steve Manley. While lessons learned over the years have increased the safety of the firefighters on the line, let us never forget how truly dangerous firefighting is.

9:30 am – Lockheed Fire Incident Command reports: 6,800 acres, 30% containment.

8:00 am – inciweb is reporting the La Brea fire exceeds 75K acres, still 10% containment. CalFire still lists Lockheed at 5K+ with 15% containment.
Lockheed GeoMac from this morning’s 3 am pass:
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Here’s the GeoMac for La Brea:
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7:30 am – Another day, and still fires, even more of them. (The Yuba Fire started yesterday afternoon.) The two on the Central Coast are the only two I can blog about. Lockheed was reported at 5K+ acres and 15% contained as of 10pm last night, per CalFire. The Governor scheduled to tour the area today. La Brea, again as of last night was estimated at over 69K acres with 10% containment. Evacuation Orders in effect for both fires. Winds and heat will be factors for both fires today. As updates arrive, I will post here.

USFS photo of the flames at La Brea Fire:
flames, la brea

Helicopter in action:
La Brea Fire Helicopter