On the horizon..... the landscape's burning red.
- B52s, Bushfire
This morning I saw my first blue sky in just about two weeks. While my own Mount Diablo Valley thankfully didn't suffer any ignitions in its domains this time, an area between Napa and Sonoma counties was not so lucky, and has sent its smoke south across the delta at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in the Far East Bay Area. While fire season is nothing new in the rugged west, an early start was provided by a system of clouds sliding above a layer of dry air, unleashing a barrage of dry lightning from Central Coast up to the Oregon border. For a few days the sun was orange even in midday, and air quality warnings have been a staple of the news across the North of the state.
The Napa-Sonoma fire is reported as contained, so our little oasis has, at least for now, some relief. But the California Department of Forestry's online map is still red with markers, especially in the northern San Joaquin Valley, Lake Tahoe and the northern forests. For now, the southern part of the state has been mostly spared this ordeal, which is a good thing considering the ravaging of San Diego county last year. But even as I look now in the south, I do see one fire right along the I-15 at the southern edge of the Cajon Pass. This is the primary route for drivers going from the NAAFA Convention to the Vegas Bash. So far the Caltrans site only has maintenance closures on I-15 farther south in San Diego, but California drivers to the NAAFA Convention and Bash would be well-advised to check the CDF and Caltrans sites regularly to stay updated. http://www.fire.ca.gov, and http://www.caltrans.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi, and pack the road condition number, 1-800.427.7623, into your cell phones.
- B52s, Bushfire
This morning I saw my first blue sky in just about two weeks. While my own Mount Diablo Valley thankfully didn't suffer any ignitions in its domains this time, an area between Napa and Sonoma counties was not so lucky, and has sent its smoke south across the delta at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in the Far East Bay Area. While fire season is nothing new in the rugged west, an early start was provided by a system of clouds sliding above a layer of dry air, unleashing a barrage of dry lightning from Central Coast up to the Oregon border. For a few days the sun was orange even in midday, and air quality warnings have been a staple of the news across the North of the state.
The Napa-Sonoma fire is reported as contained, so our little oasis has, at least for now, some relief. But the California Department of Forestry's online map is still red with markers, especially in the northern San Joaquin Valley, Lake Tahoe and the northern forests. For now, the southern part of the state has been mostly spared this ordeal, which is a good thing considering the ravaging of San Diego county last year. But even as I look now in the south, I do see one fire right along the I-15 at the southern edge of the Cajon Pass. This is the primary route for drivers going from the NAAFA Convention to the Vegas Bash. So far the Caltrans site only has maintenance closures on I-15 farther south in San Diego, but California drivers to the NAAFA Convention and Bash would be well-advised to check the CDF and Caltrans sites regularly to stay updated. http://www.fire.ca.gov, and http://www.caltrans.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi, and pack the road condition number, 1-800.427.7623, into your cell phones.
