Huge fire started yesterday afternoon on the other side of the mountain SW from me, maybe 15 -20 miles away in higher elevation. Pine trees burning and tons of smoke and ash. Right now the fire is cresting the ridge and heading down into drier mountainsides with brush. Big worry that that the canyons nearby with dense palm oasis will burn. The fire could easy continue downhill … I've shown on the map where I live …. I have nothing but mountainside between me and the fire. It's about 5 miles away now.

Preparing now on what to load in the car if they call a mandatory evacuation. I feel our neighborhood is fairly safe because there's not much to burn on the hillside and the firefighters will have my street as the main firebreak and line of defense for the whole neighborhood of 200 homes tucked up in the cove. Yikes!

More later...





Usually my backyard pics are sunny blue sky ...

Got franks and marshmallows?

Right now, Glenlivet on ice.

Just don't try to put out any flames with that stuff!

BTW, 18 y-o or French Oak Finish?

Drinking and driving . . . Take care!

Don't drink and drive, you might spill the drinks.

Oh, man. Keep us up to date.

Dave

I think its a 12 year on the shelf now …. I'm not really drinking in the afternoon, just wanted to come off as a cool cat. Actually, the Xanax is making everything okay for now.

I talked with the fireman who have taken a precautionary position down the road with few large engines and about a dozen guys. They said there were air tanker drops of retardant earlier that slowed the fire coming this way. They're calling this the "Mountain Fire" and it's 10% contained with about 10K acres burned. The fire coming downhill is slow moving and the wind is working in our favor. The real problem is the dense dry pine trees in the higher elevations that have the town of Idyllwild and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on high alert.

You're old hat... THAT's Got Smores Steve !!