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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Wildfire Season

It's here. Inevitably, after so many years of drought. What with the fire near Big Sur (about 150 miles northwest of us) and the fire between Hearst Castle and Lake Naciemento (the lake is about 40 miles northwest) the smoke is incredibly thick and the air is shockingly brown-tinged. The closer fire has been burning uncontrolled for 13 days, the farther one much longer than that.


Normally, there is a second range of hills visible beyond the ones you can see over the roof of our across-the-street neighbor. Today, nada.


I mean, really, nothing.

Earlier today, before the afternoon breeze came up, I couldn't see the hills to the east less than 10 miles away, nor could I see the mountain range that is about 6 miles to the west, between here and Morro Bay. Just plain invisible.

Too bad eye drops don't come in multi-gallon containers. Everyone here has itching, burning eyes, and will have them for the duration of these fires. Air quality varies with wind direction, which has been unpredictable.

2 comments:

Cate Rose said...

Oh no...I knew about the Tassajara fire, but not the Hearst/Nacimiento fire. You're really in the thick of it, aren't you. Sure hope you're safe. Have you tried Similasan drops for your eyes? They're natural, don't have bad preservatives in them. I swear by them when my eyes bother me.

Peg Cherre said...

I'll keep my fingers crossed for everyone in fire danger, there and elsewhere. Although we've been dry here on the east coast this year, too, it's nothing like out west.