Maxine Took Me On A Washington Wildfire Fly By To Tonasket

Maxine pointed me to a YouTube video "Northern Washington Fires Fly" which I just watched and has me sort of shocked to learn the wildfires burning up my old home state are much worse than I realized.

I had read this morning that the fires called the Okanogan Complex is now the biggest wildfire in Washington state history.

The Okanogan Complex fire is the one threatening Aunt Alice, she being Tootsie in Tonasket.  I took the screen cap showing Tonasket, you see here from the aforementioned video. I believe the fire line continues to move towards Tonasket.

Watching the video I learned most of the fires are still 0% contained. That is not good. Way too many fires with way too few resources, and people, to fight them all.

Today Aunt Alice is reporting she continues to persevere against the smoky misery.

So far, near as I know, the only major wildfire on the west side of the Cascades is the fire being called the Newhalem Complex.

I remember when I was a little kid, soon after we moved to Mount Vernon from Eugene, Oregon, a huge fire burned on one of the Cascade foothills, known as Cultus Mountain. We would sit outside at night and watch the orange explosive glow. That winter, after the fire had long been extinguished, a huge landslide slid down the area of the fire, leaving what looked like a big scar on the mountain.

Last I looked at that mountain that scar was still there.....

Taking A Look At TRWD Document With Results Of E.Coli PIP Water Testing

Earlier today I blogged about some fresh PIP nonsense from America's Biggest Boondoggle.

After that someone named Anonymous made the following comment...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "PIP Declares No E.Coli To Worry About While Rockin' The Trinity River In Fort Worth":

Take a look at a TRWD document documenting the results of e.coli testing at the confluence of the West and Clear Forks of the Trinity.

If the boondoggle is going to encourage swimming at PIP, they should be testing every day, just like a public pool. Take a look at the Long-Term Average graph. It's flirting with the "acceptable for swimming" limit. 

Looking at this TRWD chart it would appear that on any given day one might find oneself floating in the Trinity River in the PIP zone with an e.coli level above what TCEQ considers safe. And, like Anonymous suggests, the only way to be certain one is not floating with too much feces would be for the water to be tested daily.

Is the PIP squeak's spokesman still claiming the water the Rockin' the River floaters float in is no different than that which comes out of Fort Worth's taps?

PIP Declares No E.Coli To Worry About While Rockin' The Trinity River In Fort Worth

Incoming from Elsie Hotpepper.

I believe this is an iPhone  screen cap of some Facebook postings, from the Panther Island Pavilion Facebook page.

That would make this a Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision product.

If you are new to Fort Worth and wondering what Panther Island Pavilion is, well, it is sort of hard to explain. Basically it is an imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island where people float in an imaginary pollution-free river while drinking beer and listening to music.

The message from Elsie Hotpepper accompanying the screen cap....

Cut and paste is all they do...and again if that deadly levels of E. coli test was wrong, what about all the tests that said the E. coli was at a safe level? Isn't it more than likely it is those tests that came up with wrong results? Are they actually trying to claim that the Trinity River does not have an E. coli contamination problem?

Well, Elsie, you must remember  the spokesman for the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle also claimed the water the Rockin' the River floaters float in was no different than the drinking water that flows from Fort Worth taps.

Which sounds to me to be a good reason to buy bottled water, if it were true that the water the floaters float in while Rockin' the River is the same quality level as Fort Worth drinking water.

Does it only occur to me that it is a rather sad reflection of the shortage of fun things to do in Fort Worth that so many people think they are having themselves a mighty fine time floating in a polluted river while drinking beer and listening to music coming from an imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island?

Washington's Wildfires Cause Maxine A Smoky Laundry Illusion With Tootsie Tonasket

A couple days ago  I asked Maxine if this year's Washington dire fire situation was the worst she can remember, because that is how it is seeming to me from my vantage point a couple thousand miles distant.

I also asked Maxine for a hiking report, which I enjoy reading due to it causing that homesick feeling I enjoy so much.

Today Maxine emailed in a hiking and fire report, with three photos, including the one you see here. The other two photos show how badly the smoke from the fires has cut visibility.

Maxine's message, including the explanation for that which you see above....

Good Monday, 

Definitely the worst fires in my memory. Saturday was very smoky, I thought the smoke had discolored the white laundry I’d hung out to dry but Mike pointed out that it was just looking thru the air that caused  the illusion of discoloration.  At one point we couldn’t see the hills across the valley from our house.

Sunday we hiked the Skyline Divide trail. We did it a couple of years ago but it was very foggy and we couldn’t see anything. This time we were at the trailhead by 7 a.m ., had to take lots of breaks on the trail because the air quality was so poor.  Once we got out of the trees Mt. Baker was clear and beautiful-we followed the trail up and around until we were standing right in front of the backside of Baker. The smoke was settling in by the time we headed back down the trail and we could barely make out the outline of the mountain even though it was a clear day.

Our house is surrounded by trees. So far there aren’t any fires near us. There is a very small fire behind Whitehorse Mountain and that is the only fire of any significance on this side that I know of.

Maxine

______________________________________________

Maxine's location is about 30 miles, as a crow flies, southwest of the Newhalem fire in North Cascades National Park, which has been in the news the past several days.

Meanwhile, in Eastern Washington, Okanogan County remains on fire at multiple locations. Aunt Alice, aka Tootsie, in Tonasket, is working hard to stay optimistic, while having trouble breathing due to the thick smoke.

It has been an impressive thing to witness to see how the people of Tonasket and Okanogan County are using Facebook to connect people and to let the helpers know who needs help.

Let me see if I can find an example of a person on Facebook connecting the Okanogan County community. Found one. Patrick Plumb, go to Patrick Plumb's Facebook page. I think he may be the mayor of Tonasket or the chief chief of the Tonasket Tribe.

I hope relief in the form of rain comes soon to all the states currently on fire....

A Long Hot Walk With Arlington's Indian Ghosts While Strangling My Handlebars

Why am I gripping the throat of my handlebars you are sitting there wondering?

Well.

Around noon I headed to Arlington to the Village Creek Natural  Historical Area for my regularly scheduled Monday bike ride with the Indian Ghosts.

All was going well as I rolled merrily along.

And then as I was almost at my turn around point, that being the furthest from the motorized vehicle which brought me and my bike to Arlington, as I braked slightly going down the dip that goes under the Green Oaks Boulevard bridge over Village Creek, I knew I was in bike  malfunction mode.

I came to a stop, got off the bike, poked the front tire, no problem, poked the rear tire, big problem.

Flat tire in the making.

So, I began the long walk back to air-conditioned comfort. An almost three mile walk, with about half out in the open, with no shade.

I don't know how many gallons of water I leaked as I walked along, but I was dripping profusely. The bike's water bottle holds 30 ounces, I think. The backup bottle back in my vehicle holds 40 ounces. All gone by the time I got back to a tap water source of hydrating.

I have not yet done a forensic exam on the failed bike tire to determine the cause. I'll likely put that off til tomorrow.

It has been a long time since I had to walk an injured bike a long distance. If I remember correctly the previous incident occurred way back in 2005 or 6. I was at the 6 mile mark on the River Legacy Park paved trail, which put me about 4 miles from the nearest road. It  was extremely HOT. I did not have much water. I called for help, which had a rescue team rescuing me at where the trail intersects Collins Street.

Today I did not feel like calling for help. First off because three miles isn't all that far, even when pushing a broken bike.  And second off, I would have had trouble directing any of the directionally challenged people whom I might call to drive to Interlochen to find me on the Bob Findlay Linear Park trail.

Maybe I need to consider finding a new source of endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation. Returning to roller blading perhaps?

What Living In Fort Worth Is Really Like Floating The Day Away At Pavilion Island With E. Coli

This morning when I checked in on Facebook I found a message from Elsie Hotpepper, with Elsie saying OMG, which I think means Oh My Goodness.

The thing that Elsie Hotpepper was OMGing about became clear when I clicked on the link which followed the OMG, that being What Living In Fort Worth Is Really Like - cowboys, culture, and a tubing trip down the Trinity River.

The link went to what I think is some sort of real estate website, selling Fort Worth houses, and touting Fort Worth with delusional propaganda that would make the local chamber of commerce proud.

Pavilion Island? Getting that name wrong is indicative of the quality level of the research which went into creating this work of propaganda art.

Below are three of the propaganda paragraphs....

As the fifth largest city in Texas, there’s nothing small about Fort Worth—except for the vibe. With an emphasis on neighborhoods and close-knit community, it’s no wonder that Fort Worth has been named as one of America’s Most Liveable Communities multiple times by the National Civic League.

It goes by the names Panther City, Queen City, Cowtown, Funky Town, and Fort Wizard. Call it whatever you relate to the most, as long as it’s not Dallas. Fort Worth is the city where people from cities like Dallas and Austin turn to when they grow sick of their own. They might share an airport, but that’s about all these two cities have in common. This is a southwestern city with pride in its roots and it’s not trying to be anything else, unlike some places.

Grab a tube with one hand and a beer with the other. You’re about to have a day full of fun, Fort Worth style. Panther Pavilion Island is one of Fort Worth’s most popular spots and definitely one of the coolest. Whether you enjoy the relaxation of tubing or the excitement of kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding, you can do it all here. But come during the Rockin’ River events for the real excitement when all of Fort Worth shows up to party with you in the company of some great live bands.

______________________________________________

Rockin' River events? It's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube events.

And the name America's Biggest Boondoggle gives to its imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island is Panther Island  Pavilion. Not Panther Pavilion Island.

Fort Worth is known as Fort Wizard? People from Dallas and Austin turn to Fort Worth when they get sick of  Dallas and Austin?

It's no wonder Fort Worth has been named one of America's Most Livable Communities multiple times? Actually it is a wonder, because this has not happened multiple times. It happened one time, when a Washington D.C. lobbying group put Fort Worth on a list of towns which supposedly had America's most livable urban villages. (note: it is livable, not liveable. Spelling matters, even in propaganda pieces)

Fort Worth had a city-wide celebration to celebrate this meaningless award.

Tacoma was one of the towns which got this meaningless award. At that point in time I met Tacoma's Deputy Mayor. I asked him if Tacoma had a city-wide celebration when they got that award. He said "No, we thanked them politely and that was the end of it."

I then told the Deputy Mayor that Fort Worth had a city-wide celebration for being on that list.

"You are making that up," the Deputy Mayor said accusingly.

"Nope. It's true. A city-wide celebration," said I.

That third paragraph, the one that mention Rockin' River events, is the most bizarre, telling people to grab a tube and a beer to spend a day Fort Worth style in one of Fort Worth's most popular and cool spots, the Trinity River, for real excitement when all of Fort Worth shows up to party with you.

No mention made in this article about Rockin' the Trinity River being shut down due to e.coli levels so high that the river was dangerous to public health....

Today Bicycles Inc. Confirmed I Am An Unobservant Mechanically Challenged Moron

It will take me a few words to get to the part that explains what you are looking at here.

In March of 2012 I bought a cheap bike at Walmart which has turned out to be the best bike I've ever had.

But, after three years of rolling the bike's wheels, it looked to me like it was time to get new tires.

When I bought the bike the bike was clearly identified as a 26 inch bike. I have long assumed this 26 thing referred to the 26 inch diameter wheel, hence buying 26 inch replacement inner tubes.

So, yesterday I went to the Walmart where I bought the bike three years ago and bought a pair of 26 inch mountain bike tires.

I got back to my bike repair garage and eventually got the old tires off the rims. When I tried to put the new tires on the rims it quickly became problematic. As in there was no way I was going to be able to get  those tires on the rims.

I got out a tape measure and measured the new tires, and shocked was I to find they were not 26 inches in diameter, they were 25 inches in diameter. I then measured my old tires and was again shocked to find they are 27 inches in diameter. I then measured the wheel to find it is 25 inches in diameter.

At this point I was totally bum puzzled. I Googled "Bell 26 inch mountain tire won't install" to find  some people had similar woes, but for reasons that did not match mine. Plus most people were very happy with their new Bell tires.

I then returned the new tires to Walmart and got a refund.

At one point in the Googling I came upon someone saying one needed to match exactly the bike's tire specs, which in my case would be, I thought, 26" by 1.95".

I went to the Bicycles Inc. website, even though I've previously said I would never go to that store again, due to previous annoyances, like not having a tire trued by the time of the scheduled pickup. On their website I found Bicycles Inc. had something called a Sunlite Shipman 26" Tire Black 26 x 1.95 for only $15.99. And the website said this tire was in stock.

Just what I needed. And cheaper than Walmart.

So today after Bicycles Inc. opened at an hour past noon I called. Dallas answered. A person named Dallas, not the town. I asked Dallas to confirm they had the aforementioned tire in stock. Dallas said he'd never heard of that tire, but he'd go check. After about five minutes Dallas returned  to say they had no such tire. I then asked if they had other mountain bike tires with the 26 x 1.95 dimensions. Again Dallas said he'd go check and again after about five minutes he returned and said they had 26 x 2.0's, but that should work on my rim.

I told Dallas I would be there in about a half hour, with my wheel rim in hand to make sure the tire works on it.

I got to where I thought Bicycles Inc. was to find it no longer there. I thought maybe I remembered wrong, and so continued heading east on Harwood. About a block later I came to the new location of Bicycles Inc., in a much bigger store.

I walk in, wheel rim in hand. And stand. And stand. There seemed to be plenty of employees, all engaged with customers. I seemed to be the only disengaged customer. I got tired of waiting and so butted in on one of the Inc. boys and asked if one of them was Dallas. Over there, that's Dallas, but he's with a customer, you'll have to wait to talk to him.

And so I waited.

After about 10 more minutes Dallas seemed to be no longer talker to that customer, so I hailed him with a "You Dallas? I'm the guy with a wheel rim in need  of a tire." Dallas replied "I'm helping another customer, I'll help you next."

Another 10 minutes go by.  I see Dallas at a computer terminal. Then a rather large, sweating profusely Inc. boy asked if he could help me. I mention that Dallas was going to help me but he seems occupied.  I told the large Inc. boy what I needed. I told him Dallas told me, on the phone, that you had plenty in stock and they cost $15.99.

The large Inc. boy starts looking through a bunch of tires hung up against a wall. To no avail. Then he goes to where Dallas was, asks Dallas where the tires are that he told that guy with the wheel rim about. Dallas pointed in a direction to which the large Inc. boy headed.

Another ten minutes the large Inc. boy shows up, tire in hand.

I said "I need two of them, but first let's make sure it can go on this rim." "That rim?" he asks. Yeah," says I.

He then  goes, "That's a 29 inch wheel, it needs a 29 inch tire."

"What?" said I. "But I've always used 26 inch tubes," again said I.

"And they don't go flat quickly from being over inflated?" asks the large Inc. boy.

"No, the only flats I've had have been caused by items like nails or mesquite thorns."

Then I asked the large Inc. boy how he instantly knew it was a 29 inch wheel, to have him  answer with, "Well, it looks bigger than a 26, that and it says 29 right on the rim."

"What?" said I. "That's what that says? I'd never been able to make out what that was supposed to be spelling."

What I am talking about is that which you see at the top, a photo of the wheel rim I hauled to Bicycles Inc. today.

So, in the end I ended up being slightly less annoyed at Bicycles Inc., but just like I vowed after my last visit to Fry's Electronics, I don't think I will return to Bicycles Inc.

Now, I am annoyed at Walmart. Walmart sells three different brands of inner tubes, Bell, Schwinn and Goodyear. Mostly 26 inch tubes, no 29 inch tubes. Same with the bike tires Walmart sells. I did not know til today there is such a thing as a 29 inch bike inner tube. I've never seen one.

Out of this debacle I did learn one good thing, that being that I don't think my existing bike tires are as badly worn as I thought they were. I think I'll re-install them and not worry about replacing them until the memory of this nightmare fades....

An Obelisk Monolith Skyscraper Has Risen On The Tandy Hills

I was last on the Tandy Hills on August 11. I did not enjoy the hill hiking that day.

Too HOT.

Today, 11 days later, with the temperature somewhere in the 80s, it was not too HOT to do some hill hiking, .

Which had me on the Tandy Hills an hour before the noon norm.

At Hoodoo Central I found no Hoodoos, just a pile of Hoodoo rock remains. I did find the obelisk monolith skyscraper you see above, dwarfing the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

I have no idea how this obelisk monolith was installed. It's one of those statues on Easter Island type how did that get there type mysteries.

I only find one plant that grows on the Tandy Hills to be annoying. That annoying plant is currently starting to be in its annoying phase. That is the annoying plant that you see below.

These annoying spindly plants grows quite tall, eventually sprouting a lot of white flowers. Due to these annoying plant's spindly nature they get whipped by the wind, such as that which was blowing today. The wind can cause the annoying spindly plant  to become a switch delivering a spanking or a slapping as one walks by.

After too many spanks and slaps it was time to head to Town Talk.

I have not been doing Town Talk treasure hunting much of late. For months the treasure hunting has not been delivering much treasure.

Today I arrived at Town Talk about an hour before the Saturday norm. The parking lot was full, cars were parked on the street, on the grass. I drove through the parking lot and found only one open space.

I aborted the Town Talk mission. No way was I going to mingle with the mass of humanity thronged inside, or wait in a long line to get checked  out.

I think any future Town Talk visits will take place during the week. Likely after mountain biking at Gateway Park, if those trails ever open again. Currently the Gateway Park trails are closed due to a mess of trail "improvements" being improved in slow motion by the good folks at America's Biggest Boondoggle who never do anything in a timely fashion....

Taking A Cool Bike Ride Around My Woodhaven Country Club Neighborhood

Weeks ago I decided the 100 degree HEAT had rendered rolling my bike wheels in my mostly unshaded neighborhood no longer feasible.

Today, what with the month early arrival of fall temperatures, I took my handlebars on a tour of the neighborhood.

There is still a lot of green on the Woodhaven Country Club golfing greens, but there is also a lot which has been rendered brown by those vexing 100 degree plus days.

Above the aforementioned handlebars are looking north on the Cholla Circle cul-de-sac one finds on Cholla Lane.

I only saw one golfer today. The golfers must not have gotten the news that COOL has returned to North Texas.

I am afraid the early preview of  fall may be receding into history even as I sit here typing. When I went biking around noon the temperature was barely 80. Currently the temperature is only nine degrees short of 100.

My windows are once again closed. And the A/C is doing its cooling duty.

The natural cool was cool while it lasted....

Aunt Alice's Tonasket Town Level 3 Washington Wildfire Evacuation Order

My old home state is on fire. I don't recollect wildfires ever being as bad as what is happening right now.

For days I have been asking Aunt Alice, also known as Tootsie Tonasket, if she was in any fire danger in Tonasket.

Tonasket is a little town in Okanogan County in Eastern Washington.

This morning, on Facebook, I saw that which you see here, from the Seattle Times, and the following from the Mayor of Tonasket....

SHARE THIS IMMEDIATELY IF WE LOSE POWER IN THE CITY OF TONASKET

7th Street/Mill Drive/Top of Highway 20: If we lose power, get your sprinklers on FULL BLAST and Shelter in Place and get water on your property. Since we still have power, lets hit it now. If you have a wooden roof, get sprinklers on it now. Wet ANY vegetation surrounding 300 feet of your homes.

Entire rest of City: Have hose ready and have sprinklers in place. If you have a wooden or burnable roof, get water on it now. If you see large ash falling around your house, shelter in place and turn water on to wet the area around your house. If you have ladders, lean them against your house so Firefighters can access your roof quickly. Make sure all of your windows and doors are shut. If you have elderly neighbors, and they are leaving, make sure that they have hoses in place and ladders against their house. MAKE YOUR EXTERNAL PROPERTY EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO FIREFIGHTERS. After that, wait it out. Watch for spot fires and extinguish them when they are SMALL and we can all get through this.

Elderly and disabled people that cannot do these tasks, get to the Tonasket High School Shelter or North Valley Hospital because they have a backup generator and we can shelter you in the basement. If you have more people to help, come help us keep the Nursing Home Roof watered.

Also on Facebook, Aunt Alice, also known as Alice O Della, in addition to also being known as Tootsie Tonasket, posted the following regarding the current dire situation in Tonasket....
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• 
  

Alice O Della

8 hrs ·

Where should I go? Fire coming down hill out front? Mayor any ideas? No $ to go far.

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• Catherine Buffan likes this.
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  Catherine Buffan Is there a community page you can see about a ride out?

  Like · Reply · 8 hrs
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  Alice O Della Dunno where to look.

  Like · Reply · 8 hrs
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  Jody Lee Prichard Alice you need us to come get you

  Like · Reply · 1 · 8 hrs
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  Alice O Della Wades here too. Gimme a bit

  Like · Reply · 8 hrs
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  Elizabeth Gronlund You can see the fire?

  Like · Reply · 8 hrs
• 

  Alice O Della Yes. Mayor said behind us too

  Like · Reply · 8 hrs