Smoky Conditions

We had a BRIEF spell of clearing in the early evening yesterday.  It was as though God opened the heavens and let the sun through!  I could take off my respirator, and I could even see the trees on the western mountain.  Then, after about two hours, the smoke rolled back in again.  *sigh*  Yesterday, on my way in to Medford, visibility was down to a little less than a mile due to smoke.  Air quality conditions have continually remained in the unhealthy to hazardous levels.  It's been a nightmare.  EVERYTHING smells like smoke - your clothing, hair, house.  Your eyes burn, and you can taste it in the back of your throat, no matter how much water you drink.  The animals are lethargic and miserable, and I'm even more stressed out, knowing that there is nothing I can do for them (except provide lots and lots of fresh, clean water).  We are re-living the 2002 Biscuit Fire here.  The only silver lining to any of this may be another stellar batch of red wines coming out of the Applegate Valley this year.

We have also decided to close the inn to any new reservations until there is significant improvement in the air quality.  You can't go outdoors without a respirator, and even then, I get dizzy and sick and come down with pounding headaches due to the fact that I do have to be outside for long periods of time each day.  This means that trying to summon up the willpower to clean the house and prepare everything for B&B guests is nearly impossible.  All across the valley, events are being cancelled due to terribly unhealthy air quality, and it's even grown bad enough to close off the wild & scenic portion of the Rogue River.  The tourism industry is definitely taking a huge and painful hit this year, but it's not as though there is anything you can do.

So, I've been staying inside, working on hats, trying to maintain a positive outlook on life.  Sometimes, that is the best any of us can do.

Pea Soup

Remember that picture I posted yesterday, where you could just barely make out the mountain through the haze of smoke.  Well, here's a shot from today, and guess what - no mountain.  The air quality is terrible...

Another Smoky Wildfire Season

I thought 2012 was a scary year of smoke and flames, but 2013 is shaping up to be even worse.  A very mild and dry spring turned into a hot and even drier summer, and a freak lightning storm last week started something on the order of 50+ wildfires throughout southern Oregon.  Several of these fires have coalesced into larger fires, and in any event, the smoke is HORRIBLE.  Today is definitely the smokiest day yet - even walking outside for a moment has me coughing.  We've kept the windows closed and the air conditioning on to try and filter the air, but I feel so bad for the livestock...  As always, we are SO incredibly thankful for the brave men and women out there helping to fight all of these fires.

Just to give you an idea of the amount of smoke, there's supposed to be a mountain out there...

Another Smoky Day in the Applegate...

Another smoky day in the Applegate...many thank you's the to brave folks out there fighting those wildfires!

For those who don't know: there are three wildfires (started from lightning strikes earlier this month) currently burning in Northern California, right near the Oregon border.  The fires are being collectively referred to as the "Fort Complex Fires."  Two of those three, the Lick and Hello fires, are burning just south of Applegate Lake - a bit too close for comfort!  Thankfully, it appears that they are slowly being contained, but the smoke in the mean time has been terrible!  It doesn't help that we are currently experiencing a record heat wave: 100+ degrees every day this week, with no relief in sight until at least Saturday.  Now they are saying that there is a chance of more lightning storms Friday Saturday...scary...