Jump to content

Friday The 13th - Oregon & California Are Burning - 300 Miles Of Hell On Earth


Trulyvintage

Recommended Posts

Wednesday afternoon is when I hit

The Smoke.

 

I stopped to get a couple tires just outside Eugene, Oregon for the trailer - it was mid morning and as it turns out - I was their last job for the day - the air quality was so bad they decided not to send service trucks out to do roadside semi truck tire repairs.

 

Another Wildfire - this time in Oakridge was turning the sky into early darkness.

 

What followed was 300 miles of the worst air I have driven in over the last 15 years as

I headed south - all the way to Redding, California.

 

Shasta Lake from the I-5 bridge at 11:30 am

earlier today ….
 

E3E31AD6-06E1-4179-B78C-6B7AFF9707A3.jpeg.6ce83da8fe8c1fc9bf6d4b65b45e0a6c.jpeg

 

Jim

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Trulyvintage said:

Wednesday afternoon is when I hit

The Smoke.

 

I stopped to get a couple tires just outside Eugene, Oregon for the trailer - it was mid morning and as it turns out - I was their last job for the day - the air quality was so bad they decided not to send service trucks out to do roadside semi truck tire repairs.

 

Another Wildfire - this time in Oakridge was turning the sky into early darkness.

 

What followed was 300 miles of the worst air I have driven in over the last 15 years as

I headed south - all the way to Redding, California.

 

Shasta Lake from the I-5 bridge at 11:30 am

earlier today ….
 

E3E31AD6-06E1-4179-B78C-6B7AFF9707A3.jpeg.6ce83da8fe8c1fc9bf6d4b65b45e0a6c.jpeg

 

Jim

You should have stopped by our place in Phoenix, Oregon for a break. Exit 24 is right near our house.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, keiser31 said:

You should have stopped by our place in Phoenix, Oregon for a break. Exit 24 is right near our house.


I always smile when I see that exit notice.

I was born & grew up in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

 

Jim

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I drove I-5 to Seattle for 4th of July weekend.  On the way north, there was a fire just north of Lake Shasta that came right down to the edge of the road.  The plume of smoke was impressive looking!  Lots of emergency vehicles on the side of the road, but fortunately traffic was still flowing.

 

One nice thing about modern cars is that they have cabin air filters.  It is interesting to read the history of cabin air filters.  Seems Nash was a pretty early proponent of them back in the 1940s.  Unfortunately it took the rest of the car industry another 50 years to catch up.

Edited by wws944 (see edit history)
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, keiser31 said:

You should have stopped by our place in Phoenix, Oregon for a break. Exit 24 is right near our house.

 

6 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:


I always smile when I see that exit notice.

I was born & grew up in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

 

Jim

 

Kinda ironic in this case as the mythical phoenix is a bird that rises from its own ashes.  Anyway, the OP pic is simultaneously terrifying and beautiful - looks like a painting rather than a photo.  Although I'm sure folks in the middle of it don't appreciate that - I pray they all stay safe.  At least they're not in Florida where we have hurricanes as well as wildfires.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are having another apocalyptic summer above the USA, here in BC Canada. I’m in Kamloops. We’ve been surrounded all summer by wildfires again this year.  Scientists are touting that the wildfires will get progressively worse in the future as we have drier, hotter summers.  A gloomy outlook.

 

We live in an interface zone between the city and natural forest. If the fire situation continues-on each year as projected, its probably only a matter of time. Then our number is up and our property is in the direct line of a wildfire. 

Tonight driving, trees near the hiway were bursting into fireballs as we drove by.  This is not a way to live. In fear of losing everything you’ve worked for to a wildfire. Being Told to evacuate as the fire comes barreling at your home.  Too many homes have already been lost this summer. 

Many people have already endured the horror.  I’m trying to decide if I make it thru this year, do we try for another good year next? Or do we get out proactively?  Sell?  Pack up and set up home somewhere else? Its not an easy choice to make. Most of BC is at risk. The perils of wildfire seem to know no boundaries here this summer.

 

A scene below here, from the hi-way. Drving home tonight.
 

Yet another local community of 2000 people has a fire at the gates tonight. Hopefully they can save it. 

 

 

 

 

09DE9A5D-251A-48B4-962E-EF489A846954.jpeg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, keithb7 said:

Or do we get out proactively?  Sell?  Pack up and set up home somewhere else? Its not an easy choice to make.

 

Another British Columbian on our forum 

periodically mulls that idea.  It's your decision,

of course, but I can say that in many small towns

in the U. S., $200,000 will get you a very nice house.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feel for you guys, we've recently been through it and we know what you're going through.

 

The wife and I flew on a regional prop plane up the east coast last year here and you could just see a wall of smoke for hundreds of miles as well as the fire front

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, keithb7 said:

We are having another apocalyptic summer above the USA, here in BC Canada. I’m in Kamloops. We’ve been surrounded all summer by wildfires again this year.  Scientists are touting that the wildfires will get progressively worse in the future as we have drier, hotter summers.  A gloomy outlook.

 

We live in an interface zone between the city and natural forest. If the fire situation continues-on each year as projected, its probably only a matter of time. Then our number is up and our property is in the direct line of a wildfire. 

Tonight driving, trees near the hiway were bursting into fireballs as we drove by.  This is not a way to live. In fear of losing everything you’ve worked for to a wildfire. Being Told to evacuate as the fire comes barreling at your home.  Too many homes have already been lost this summer. 

Many people have already endured the horror.  I’m trying to decide if I make it thru this year, do we try for another good year next? Or do we get out proactively?  Sell?  Pack up and set up home somewhere else? Its not an easy choice to make. Most of BC is at risk. The perils of wildfire seem to know no boundaries here this summer.

 

A scene below here, from the hi-way. Drving home tonight.
 

Yet another local community of 2000 people has a fire at the gates tonight. Hopefully they can save it. 

 

 

 

 

09DE9A5D-251A-48B4-962E-EF489A846954.jpeg

 

 

Hi Keith, down here in the L.M. we are all hoping for a good outcome . The situation seems to be getting worse each year. My sister lives in 100 Mile so a very similar situation. 

I don't think anyone knows the answer. Prices in the L.M. passed the insane mark 5 years ago. And if things continue the way they seem to be headed, life and property in the Interior is tremendously at risk over the course of a lifetime.

 None of this seems to stop people moving here or the torrent of money seeking a safe haven.  Far more questions than answers for anyone not in the top 10% of incomes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is indeed getting worse each year. Lytton BC hit 48 Cel in July. The highest temperature ever recorded in Canada. Then the town was completely ravaged by a wild fire within in the following days.

Then Monte Lake was flattened by fire 2 weeks ago. Logan Lake was on the cusp last night. Somehow 60 fire trucks ended up there and toed-the-line all night. No buildings lost as of yet. Finally some positive news. People (animals, fire fighters and home owners) are exhausted and on their last emotional nerves. Rinse and repeat year after year.

 

@1912Staverthe LM is off my radar I think. I grew up there. Not sure I can go back. Would if I had to, but it would be a tough choice to accept. If it weren't for our jobs and family here, I'd probably be looking far and wide across Canada. What will become of it all? nobody knows.  It's more than an uneasy feeling.

 

I am reminded of the saying that it might be best to "get t'going while the going is still good". 

 

The mind is tormented.  Life altering decisions may be laying in waiting. By October we'll all be at ease more than likely. We'll all forget again until next July.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by keithb7 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree about the L.M..  Changed beyond recognition since my youth { mid 1970's }. Some aspects are still very attractive. But the overcrowding , traffic, homelessness / crime  and cost of housing / living are huge minuses . Even out here in the Fraser Valley burbs the average single family home is currently around 1.2 - 1.4 million. Up 30 % in many cases ,this year alone . Pair that up with stagnant for decades incomes , a seriously high cost of living / tax environment and it spells a very bleak situation for many . 

Big question is where to move to that doesn't result in as many { or more } new problems as old ones solved.

Edited by 1912Staver (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it's any consolation we have a lot of out of state buyers coming in here also. I recently talked to a home builder and he said the majority of his work is out of state buyers. Just hope they don't try and make this like the place they're running from. 

Never would have dreamed Sagebrush Flats would turn into a refuge. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Fossil said:

If it's any consolation we have a lot of out of state buyers coming in here also. I recently talked to a home builder and he said the majority of his work is out of state buyers. Just hope they don't try and make this like the place they're running from. 

Never would have dreamed Sagebrush Flats would turn into a refuge. 

Same story here too.

 

Anyways, I'm very thankful we haven't had any really huge fires here in ID this year yet. I hope the west coast can finally get a rest from this one of these years.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...