Gary-Summer: July 15, 2024 - Park Ridge Lookout

Monday, July 15, 2024

July 15, 2024 - Park Ridge Lookout

Title: July 15, 2024 - Park Ridge Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Morning Sun

I got up at 0530 and did the morning lightning report. Not nearly as bad, in some ways as yesterdays, but I think there is much more potential for fires-both from locations and the type of lightning. I finished up by 0700. Sherri has already started taking down loads of our stuff to the car. I helped her take down a couple loads as well. Still more up here for the rest of the day. We are going back home tonight. Also today is a regular day: 0930 to 1800. Finished up with breakfast and continued to clean up.

Sherri is doing the majority of this morning’s lookout chores. She took the weather, then went in service with Porterville. I went in service with Ash Mountain. Then Sherri does a scan. She must be much more rested than yesterday-that is a good thing.

Fire Retardant on Basin Fire

The fires down south still have one of Porterville’s channel’s tied up, so we continue using Channel 2 to communicate. Except for some chatter on R5. On speaking of R5, for once I was not the source of issues with radios. Buck Rock and Delilah were having a classic failure to communicate. After a while, I helped Buck Rock work through what the issue was. My success for the day. That is not that I am a radio wiz, more like I was available to help debug a problem

So it is back to scanning, and practicing being a lookout.

Gary on Cat Walk

Timber and Sentinel Fires are burning-they were discovered yesterday. Timber is pretty small, less than an acre. But the Sentinel is about 15 acres. This morning Ash Mountain is reporting on them. Both are being monitored by air.

I get into window cleaning mode while Sherri does scans. She also gets into cleaning mode-pulling stuff out from under the bed. About that time, we both smelled a bit of smoke. We are wondering if it is the cabinets and stuff we are looking in for window cleaner. But maybe we should do a scan to make sure the forest is not burning.

That smoke which we saw last night? It was not there this morning, which makes sense since at night it cools down and so would whatever was burning. But now at about 1130, I am seeing a faint bit of smoke in the same place. I will wait until I see a bit more before informing Chief 2.

About 1240, a person comes along and starts to clear around the powerlines which feed the Verizon building as well as the lookout. Good to know that this is a concern of the power companies.

Smoke from Park Ridge Rx

With that you can tell how the day is going when a guy with a weed whacker and pruner is the highlight. Oh wait, the smoke we see by the Wye is still puffing. But it just continues to smoke, then die down, and repeat the cycle. Of course, that smoke is not the only thing we do. We continue doing our scans and other stuff.

In the early afternoon, we have the rest of our lasagna from last night. Pretty good still. Of course, well made lasagna is good anytime. After this we start packing up so that there will not be much to take down when we leave this evening. A PG&E truck comes by and works on the transformer by the lookout.

Top of a dangerous tree

So our day goes on without too much ado. We start cleaning up, scrubbing floors and wiping down counters, making sure the bed looks straight-not as good as military, but good enough. When we bring down the flag, it really feels like we are going back home. A few minutes before 1800, we go out of service with both Ash Mountain Fire and Porterville. Then it is time to go on home.

A quarter mile before we get to the saddle, we spot the dangerous tree which E42 told us about Saturday. I can see the concern. The top part looks like an ordinary dead tree, but the bottom is leaning against a couple other trees. We have gone through safely and made it home a little before 2000. Feels good, so does a shower.