The smoke is better. The mountain is almost always visible these days, though blurred with what we might call haze but is really smoke. I've been able to take walks on some days, not today because the smoke is a little thicker today, probably "unhealthy for sensitive groups." We have had some cool weather and a dab of rain two nights ago.
I have unpacked the car with its evacuation gear. As I unpacked, I made a list of every item so next time I won't have to think about what to take. I'll just throw things together according to the list and avoid the anxiety of decision making.
A few days ago the sky was so clear and blue (I was relieved to see it had not turned red while I couldn't see it) I put on my hiking boots and got in the car to go up Stein Butte, maybe, at the Applegate Lake, or the Charlie Buck trail to Baldy Peak on the other side of the Applegate. But once I went over the pass into the Carberry Creek drainage, the smoke thickened badly, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hike. When I reached the Applegate Lake, I saw that the road towards Stein Butte was closed, anyway, and the same thing was true for the road leading to the Charlie Buck trail. The best thing, then, would be to circle around to the Applegate valley and drive home, but when I got to the valley, I decided to make something of the trip and go into Jacksonville for a cup of coffee.
The air in Jacksonville was clear. The sky was its usual beautiful blue, so I parked the car and walked for two hours in the Jacksonville Woodlands.
I have unpacked the car with its evacuation gear. As I unpacked, I made a list of every item so next time I won't have to think about what to take. I'll just throw things together according to the list and avoid the anxiety of decision making.
A few days ago the sky was so clear and blue (I was relieved to see it had not turned red while I couldn't see it) I put on my hiking boots and got in the car to go up Stein Butte, maybe, at the Applegate Lake, or the Charlie Buck trail to Baldy Peak on the other side of the Applegate. But once I went over the pass into the Carberry Creek drainage, the smoke thickened badly, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hike. When I reached the Applegate Lake, I saw that the road towards Stein Butte was closed, anyway, and the same thing was true for the road leading to the Charlie Buck trail. The best thing, then, would be to circle around to the Applegate valley and drive home, but when I got to the valley, I decided to make something of the trip and go into Jacksonville for a cup of coffee.
The air in Jacksonville was clear. The sky was its usual beautiful blue, so I parked the car and walked for two hours in the Jacksonville Woodlands.
There were lots of people walking the trails, glad to be outside, glad to be getting outdoor exercise, glad to be walking in the beautiful woodlands again. Everyone was in the best of moods.
The Slater and Devil fires are still burning, but they are burning low and slow and are no longer threatening my house. The air is still smoky but not oppressive and no longer in the hazardous zone, as it was for so many days. Williams, Oregon, eight miles down the road, no longer has the worst air quality in the world and, in fact, doesn't even show up any more on the AQI index as one of the ten worst cities in the country. I'm sorry for those ten California cities on the list. I hope they, too, will wake up one day soon under a smokeless blue sky.
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