Sitting in the MarAzul in Channel Island harbor right at the moment. Santa Ana wind blowing about 30 - 50 with gust even higher often. Can't do shit! Got a dock line on every cleat on the dock! So I pity those fighting the fires as well as those watching the fire approach their home. Talked with my friend that lives right in middle of Thomas fire. He spent the night in his van in a parking lot after the Sheriff rousted him out around 1:00 this morning. The fire fighters saved his house too!. It's been a long week, this started Monday.
On the bright side - he can get high sniffing his soles. Unfortunately we are in a danger area as well - we have all the evacuation bags ready - even tho so far nothing near us. Hope I do not need to use them.
I hope you remembered to gas up the rig. Leaving time is not a good time to look for gas. May well be no power to pump it or the station is clogged with others that forgot.
Seeing tons of footage from the freeways. Looks like a fucking disaster movie. Get out safe people. Fuck
My friend hasn't been able to go home since Tuesday when she left for work. She's been staying at the high school shelter for 3 or 4 days now and she's totally exhausted. She did text me a picture of a Portland Firetruck driving through town and said it was a beautiful site for them all to see. They are at least getting some air support now as well.
The wife has the big car fully gassed and she is actually in LA for a job thing. If we need to evacuate - we can only go 80 miles or so - since I have the EV and need to take the kids with me (can't fit 2 kids, myself and a dog in a Miata). We are only 10 miles or so from the beach - so not likely to have to run far if at all. So far, all is well here. The entire county is under alert - but I hope that it is more a precaution than a real issue.
We had to evacuate 3 years ago - we basically just spent a day at the dog beach, had one night at a shelter at a highschool maybe 5 miles from home - and went further out to a hotel the next night (the shelter did not accept dogs, so I had to sleep in the car with her) - there are a lot of great things about SOCAL - but fire hazard is one thing I have learned to prepare for.
This explains the emptiness I felt after that In the meantime - we have a new fire - the lilac, currently more than 10 miles away near Bonsall - but it is starting to get too close for comfort when you can see the smoke from the back porch.
Fought a major fire around my acreage in N. Cal about 7 out of the 10 seasons I lived there...it's exhausting...I hope folks contain it soon...that's some dry forest
I'm supposed to be in Santa Barbara Tuesday night...just got told that my original plan of landing at LAX and driving up is a no-go...
I haven't heard from my friend since this morning... I just saw a live shot on CNN and it's so much worse. I'm so afraid for her and her family and neighbors, etc. This so so scary.
