Good Morning! 71F @ 3:45AM. Sunny. High 92F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Calfire has announced that the Saddle Fire was caused by a defective exhaust system on an automobile. Conspicuously absent from the announcement was the name of the driver, or if s/he was arrested. Apparently witnesses noticed the car, but couldn't provide enough information for law enforcement followup. Instead, we are all cautioned to provide better care for our cars to ensure it doesn't happen again. :confused2: That's the same warning that has been issued multiple times over the last several weeks after similar fires were started along another inter-mountian road nearby.
Spent most of the day yesterday unpacking the truck and putting things away. It took a lot longer than it did to put them into the truck, but entropy is like that.
I also fixed a broken power terminal on the motorcycle accessory wiring harness, a problem that had caused the audio system, particularly the radar detector, to intermittently lose power and start squawking when it was restored, a cycle often triggered when the bike hit a bump. Then I noticed that I'd left the gas on by mistake, and a small leak had resulted. The fuel line had become hard, so I replaced it as well. Now it's all set for another run this weekend, but I'm left wondering what would have happened if the fire had struck a day early and I wasn't at home.
My lovely neighbor was driving out his gate last night as I retrieved the mail, and he stopped to talk. He apologized for his bad behavior in the past, and suggested we could use the fire as an excuse to make a fresh start. I reminded him that I'd held my hand out to him in friendship many times, and that had only resulted in more trouble. I told him that the best way for us to get along was to have no relationship at all, and that I was done with him. Life's just too short to have a$$hats like that in it. My guess is that the fire lines that were cut through his property validated the improvements I'd made to mine, the same ones that he had so vigorously criticized me for. And the charred remnants of the homes across the canyon provide graphic evidence of what will happen to him if he doesn't wise up in time for the next fire.
Last night a local TV channel had an interview with homeowners that had lost one of those houses. Not a single word was spoken about their lack of preparation or failure to provide adequate fire safe space around their home. Now they have all the space in the world, but no home to go with it. They did say they plan to rebuild, so hopefully they learn from their mistake.
The power company was back on site late yesterday afternoon, reversing the wiring changes made earlier to restore temporary power. One of them said that 28 utility poles on the other side of the canyon had to be replaced, along with the wires they supported. He quoted an astronomical cost to do so, though I don't remember the exact figure. Then he handed me a brown paper bag that contained one of the lunches they were being fed. The thing must have weighed four pounds, and it'll probably take me several days to get through it. Nobody's losing weight on this job!
I was enjoying some music and a cold one on the back porch when I noticed a pickup truck parked in the new fire lane at the top of my property, but there was no one nearby. While I appreciate the recovery efforts, I think it's time I reclaim my privacy and once again start locking the gate. There's a phone number posted on the gate to call if they need access, and I've already made sure that the power company has the combo. Anyone else can call ahead and arrange access when I can be on site to keep an eye on things, and I don't think that's an unreasonable stance to take now that the emergency has passed.
TGIF gang!
