From Santa Cruz ... air quality is worse today than yesterday. The sunrise was hellish looking ... and the weather prediction is for more smoke to come this way for the next few days. Wind direction will not change until Monday at the earliest.

So sad ...

Barbara-
Unfortunately that is not the case-
Here's a link to the current list of places in CA where the "safe & sane " fireworks can be purchased.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/25tevp

What is worrisome about this is that many of our local firefighters
are being sent to the fires, which I think is the right thing to do-yet it leaves us rather exposed
with fireworks being set off in nearby neighborhoods.

The Gov. was suggesting a ban on fireworks sales from the stands, not public displays,BTW. The latter I would gladly forfeit this year
as it will just add smoke to the
already smokey skies.

Love-our sunset didn't look that good last eve ! It was that sun, but against a thick gray background.

Ugh-stay safe all.

R5

We just arrived back home early yesterday morning after being out of the country for two weeks with no connection to the outside world (yes, that is still possible, LOL), so I am still in a bit of a state of shock and disbelief with what is happening.

We are getting little hints and patches of blue sky here on the mid-peninsula in the SF Bay Area, but the skies are generally worse today than they were yesterday. The winds have picked up, but it doesn't seem to be doing much. I have asthma, so I am not going outside much and am trying not to do much. Thank god for my inhalers!

Just got word that friends who live in the foothills of rural Butte County have had to evacuate their home once, but are back. My friend told me that he can sit on his front porch and watch several fires off in the distance. He said the smoke is almost unbearable.

Ackk.

Hi Iamq- Yes, it has been bad for several days here in the SF Bay Area (I'm in San Jose). I don't have asthma, though I've had trouble being outside for two long with my eyes watering and my throat has been a little raspy.

Welcome home Iamq. It's too bad about whats happened with all of the forest fires.
I saw on the Weather Channel earlier that Sacramento has the highest level for unhealthy air.
The fire fighters in Big Sur are trying to keep the fires east of Hwy 1 to protect the town of Big Sur. I sure hope none of them get injured.

Here is updated news from the LA Times regarding how things have improved a little around Big Sur.


http://travel.latimes.com/articles/l...es28-2008jun28


Tam,
It looks like your trip plans may be Ok as long as the winds move the fires away from the coast.

Razzle,

Thanks for that information. I'm amazed, really, I thought the ban was a State thing. We can only have commercial displays, which are free, and apparently the various communities that host them are having trouble raising enough money this year.

I remember only too well how awful the dense smoke is. Even when your windows are tight shut, the smell seems to creep in anyway. Once the air clears, don't forget to change the filters in your cars.

Firefighters are true heroes. In Rancho Bernardo, where a lot of rebuilding is going on, one family had to replace the fence at the back of their house, facing on to a busy road. They replaced it with a lovely wall and in the middle they put a special plaque thanking the firefighters, and the date-October 2007. A lot of our people are up north helping out now.

The air here is better this evening.

I am absolutly shocked regarding the list of cities, per the website Razzle posted, that allow "safe and sane" fireworks including Rio Vista in my county.

My daughter told me that her husband was working in Napa County yesterday and he saw a beautiful sight. There were white sheets tied together and put over a long fence with wording thanking the firefighters for all their efforts. Beautiful!

Would fireworks being displayed off of barges in the ocean be affected if a state wide ban were in effect?
I was thinking about the fireworks in Santa Barbara were Steely Girl and I will be for the 4th. Their fireworks are done off a barge in the ocean.

Hope everyone is doing well with the smoke conditions.

LoveItaly,
Sorry to hear that your air conditions have worsen again.

Hello there andrew8, thank you! While it is not as bad here as in other places around 1:00pm today I and everyone else had to close up our residences and turn on the a/c. We hear about health warnings but there are times people have to be outside breathing the air (workers, errands etc).

Anyway andrew8 I haven't heard that any city/county sponsered fireworks have been cancelled. If I hear I will sure post here. And I can't imagine that fireworks from a barge in the water would be a problem.

When in Santa Barbara if you two have some prawns and a cold glass of white wine on Stearns Wharf think of me my friend!

You're such a treasure LoveItaly, we sure will !

We just returned from Asia on Friday - flew into SFO and saw the horrible smoke. We live in San Jose, but are from Watsonville, so we have been monitoring the fires online during our trip. Until this year, fireworks were legal there and it was a big fundraising thing for lots of organizations.

My dad lives up near Shingletown, which also has some fire activity.

Scary stuff.

Air quality in SJ has been rough the last couple days - we've barely gone out at all.

I might need to post a new thread for this, but I'll try here first. My husband and I are supposed to be flying into SFO on July 12 and out of Burbank on the 19th. This is for our 20th anniversary, so I was trying to make it special. The plan was to spend 3 days around SF, and a day each in Carmel, Big Sur, Cambria and Pasadena. I've been watching the fires closely, and this morning on the "Today" show, they said it could be weeks or months before they are controlled.

Is it time for me to make other plans, or should I wait it out yet? I've been considering Yosemite as an alternative, but I'm not sure of their air quality either. Working with the fact that we are flying into SFO and out of Burbank, what else is in driving distance (maybe 8 hours) or short flying distance? Our preferences include reasonable hiking, strolling, somewhat active vacation (not Las Vegas).

Any help is greatly appreciated. Our prayers are still with those battling the fires in California.

You can check Yosemite air quality daily at this site:

http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcam...am/yosecam.cfm

Tam, it's hard to say. Even if the fires are still burning, whether the smoke affects your activites will depend on the wind directions. It might be very difficult to get reservations at this point for Yosemite.

If you aren't able to drive from SF to LA via the coast Hwy, you may still be able to do that via Hwy 101. You could also catch a 1-hour flight from Oakland, San Francisco, or Monterey to Southern California.

You might want to research more time around Cambria, the Santa Ynez Valley, and Southern California (maybe add in San Diego, there are some nice easy walks around Torrey Pines).

Good luck.

Aloha from Carmel. I watched an update on one of our PBS stations, today. On the update, the forest rangers and firefighters gave info to Big Sur locals. They're working very hard but it is difficult because there are no hydrants in the forest and you have to rely on the air and the firefighters bringing hoses up. They work to make fire lines and clear the brush. Friends in Big Sur say that they can barely breathe.

We had to drive our oldest to SFO on Saturday, as she's headed to Europe for a month. We had smoke all the way up and experienced it in SF, all day.

Yesterday, I had to venture out to Bruno's on Junipero, in Carmel, to purchase some of their world class meat. When I got out of my car, I literally felt as if I was standing inside of a fireplace. Ash fell on me, too. We took a drive around the beach and could only keep the windows and sunroof open for a short while because our eyes immediately burned. I have asthma and got a little spooked. There were people walking on the beach, some with babies (idiots). The water was full of surfers, too. I don't know how they can expose themselves to the air this way, it's not safe.

Someone mentioned that the road is closed south of Monterey. That is not true! I would never make it home if that was the case. The road is closed from Ventana south. Who knows how long that will last.

We were planning on attending the Big Sur art festival on the 4th...it's canceled.

Our oldest has a friend who just graduated from college and took a summer job working the front desk at Ventana. A few days ago, he had to call people to inform them that they had to cancel their reservations. At that time, the current guests were furious because Ventana is also remodeling. So they got a double whammy of disappointment. Hey, it's not Ventana's fault that there's a fire and it's good they're remodeling, no? He told my oldest, last week, that he checked in the crazy guy from the Jackass movies, Johnny Knoxville...I wonder if he left or spoofed something for another movie.

Raz - how are you doing, today?

I read in the LA Times that Post Ranch and Ventana are open but everyone seems to be canceling reservations.

The air quality doesn't seem to be getting any better in the fire areas.
Why is the state so short staffed?
Is is because of the number of fires?

What a mess, and it's so early in the fire season :(

Tess,
Are the conditions worse in Carmel Valley than By the Sea?
I would think the westerly breezes along the coast would push this bad air over the Sierra'a. Those inland are having such a hard time now.

Andrew, yes, it seems that there are very few firefighters because there are so many fires. Most of the firefighters in the state are fighting one or other of these fires, but they can't take everyone away from other areas. There are firefighters from many other states here now. This is how it is with big fires and now we have a lot of big fires all at once. The military sent a bunch of huge tankers today, but they can only fly if visibility is good and with all the smoke visibility can be too poor to use these tankers.

You can help the firefighters by donating soft drinks, water, etc. It's a good idea to check first, but I know people here did that.

I hope everyone and everything survives these fires. I have very fond memories of Nepanthe and the Ventanna Inn.

Andrew - one could say the state is short-staffed on fire fighters (and many of us do say that), but also, over one thousand fires burning at one time in California is unprecedented.
The bulk of the fires, from what I heard, are in Mendocino County, Butte County and Shasta County. These were mostly form lightning strikes.

The air quality is much improved today in the San Francisco Bay Area from what it was last Friday. Last friday I was imagining what Beijing looks like on a typical day. Today we had our sunny skies with damp breezes warning us of fog. What a relief!

That fire down in Big Sur is a doozy. Here's thanks to all the fire fighters from California and beyond that are doing their best in very difficult situations.

That was a great local radio web page that someone gave, and it linked on the bottom to this one that I thought you folks might find good to look at.
http://www.surfire2008.org/thankyou.php

It has lots of thank yous to fire fighters and others from folks in the area, in the state and even from overseas. Thought you might want to send your wishes directly to the community.

You can also find links for making donations to help.

As for visiting there after the fires have passed, I imagine any business that is open would be even more pleased than usual to get your business, and ten times more in need than usual.

Good point, Suz. And it's heartening to see how much community spirit there is on that website--neighbors and others coming together to do what needs to be done.

For those interested, Deetjen's had a close call, but they're ok. From what I heard, a burning tree fell on one of the old cabins, but firefighters were right there to remove it and douse the flames--Bravo! They also saved the Henry Miller Library, another close call. Luckily, the other historic inns and restaurants are ok, too. Nepenthe and it's Phoenix shop are open.

Thank you for your replies Barbara and Suz.

Here is an article written today in a local paper. It's not looking good for the people of Big Sur. I sent a message of support and best wishes to the people at Post Ranch Inn who are hunkered down trying to keep the place from burning.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9793483

From SF Gate

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAMT11K717.DTL

Mr. Curtis and some of those others have a lot of nerve.

You can rebuild your house. You can't undo losing your life.

Sheesh.

Hello mlgb, I never understand people putting themselves in the way of danger to "protect" property either. Houses can be rebuilt. Losing valuables especially family heirlooms is sad. But dying (and dying by fire is horrible) because of real estate or personal property goes beyond comprehension. I was interested in the comment that people that were insisting on staying were asked for the name of their dentist. For ID purposes of course after their body was burned beyond recognition. Shudder!

Yes, and if it was just themselves, it would be one thing.

But they're also causing greater risk to fire crews and impeding the fire response by staying.

Interesting story about the fire and the community of Big Sur in this morning's San Jose Mercury News.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9800218

Well, well, well, what did I tell you in a previous post?? In my opinion, the owners of Nepenthe are huge narcissists. Their website is down but they're still standing. It's their Internet connection and they're trying to fix it.

Check out the pix in today's L.A. Times - fabulous and gruesome all at once.

Luckily, we haven't had smoke in the Carmel/Pebble Beach/Monterey/Pacific Grove area in a week. Thank heavens for the wind change. We've had fog on and off for a week and that's a good thing.

I'm happy to have read that those in some areas of Big Sur were able to return home yesterday.
LoveItaly,
I heard that you had fires pop up to the north and east of you. Sorry to hear that you have to go through another round of smoky conditions.
Iamq,
I read that the general manager of Post Ranch stayed behind during the fires. He reports that the fires haven't damaged the ranch.

I think it is time to again ask for current smoke conditions. We are leaving Saturday for San Francisco, where we will spend 3 days. We had to give up the Big Sur part of our trip and are instead spending 1 night in Cambria and 2 nights on Catalina Island. How are conditions in SF and Cambria, specifically smoke conditions? What is the best route to get from SF to Cambria, assuming Hwy. 1 is closed? Thanks in advance!

Hwy 1 is slowly reopening, but only to locals. Take 101 south to Hwy 46 west to Cambria.

Hi andrew8, it is suppose to get up to 110 degrees today. Still bad smokey sky and air. Bad pollution day. Anyone that can is strongly advised to stay indoors with windows closed and the AC on. But we also are warned that there may be blackouts due to huge increase of power usage, sigh. Cooling centers have been opened up through our country.

Andrew8, it is so sad. The lovely town of Paradise which is in Butte Country (north of Sacramento) again has raging fires. I read awhile ago that residents of 3,200 houses have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

We are inbetween all the fires and being in a valley..well it is miserable. There was a fire here yesterday but thankfully it was put out fairly quick. We can't complain andrew8, inspite of the heat and air..we are not having to worry about our homes and businesses burning down.

You can get a local area forecast for Cambria at

www.ksby.com

Not sure if they have smoke but apparently it's very, very foggy at the coast today!

Not only Paradise but Forest Ranch and Berry Creek. Those areas area all wooded and incredibly beautiful. It breaks my heart to see these areas go up in flames.

It was very smoky on the Monterey Peninsula the past two days. Today, it is less smoky with fog and we're supposed to get some heat.

LoveItaly, sound like a good day to stay home and read a new book! I hope this all clears up soon, but you know other fires will start somewhere else.

What do you think about the Governator's idea of having all property owners pay a $12 annual fee for firefighting? It doesn't sound too bad to me. Firefighting costs a huge amount of money and we do seem to need it all year round now. I don't think insurance companies should be the fee collectors, though.

Friends of ours lost their house and several out buildings in the fire that is ravaging Butte County.
Our friend is a builder and the house was a labor of love for him. It was a spectacular and unique home, one in which he had about 5 years of blood, sweat and tears invested. My heart is breaking for him and his wife.

I am thrilled that the fire crews were able to hold the fire line in Big Sur and in some cases push the fire back. It is apparently about 25% contained.

That is so sad iamq, heartbreaking! And I have been told by a neighbor who use to live in Paradis that Paradise is home to a lot of senior citizens so the elderly and especially those with health problems are no doubt having a terrible time with having to leave their homes.

Hi Barbara, I think I mentioned to you before what with our very early warm spring and no rain I suspected it was going to be a long hot summer with lots of fires. Sadly I was right. Yes, I think CA will be dealing with fires the entire season. I hadn't heard about the $12.00 annual charge. I sure do not have any problem with that, not at all, but wouldn't it be better to have it added to our property tax bill than our insurance premium? Just a thought.

LoveItaly,
You always have the best attitude in regards to your horrible weather conditions. Please be careful in the extreme heat and the smoky conditions.
Iamq,
Sorry for the loss of your friends house in Butte County. I could not even imagine losing everything in a fire.
Barbara,
My wife and I are planning on moving to the Santa Barbara area in the future. I'm all for paying a $12 tax for fighting forest fires.

My wife and I were 13 miles away from the Goleta Gap fire when were visiting Santa Barbara last week. On our first day of sailing we had noticed a very smoky haze over the mountain ridge. The conditions were near perfect as we sailed away from Santa Barbara toward Montecito and Carpinteria.