Rough Week

[over4T]

Was at the hardware place a couple of miles from the ranch on Wednesday afternoon picking up a few more of the never ending supply of nuts and bolts this sport requires. Clear day, warm but not cooking, maybe a 3 mph breeze. Came out after my usual 10 or 15 minute stop, glanced toward home and the canyon between the store and home was burning. Maybe an acre or so but in drought ridden California you take that seriously, especially with all the huge fires already going. Called my son and daughter-in-law at their respective jobs about 9 miles in the other direction and told them to get back to the ranch.

Within ten minutes we were all there and a few of the smaller air tankers based in Grass Valley were there hitting it. Fire was already up to 10 acres and a few minutes later half the United States' fleet of C 130's based at the old McClellan Air Force Base 45 miles down the road in Sacramento were there dropping the largest loads of retardant I've ever seen. Fire was up over 100 acres by then and the total of 13 tankers and several helicopters looked like maybe they'd be able to contain it. That wish vanished when the fire jumped the river in the canyon and headed up towards us and it already had a name, the River Fire.

Had a horse trailer belonging to friends on the way and another livestock one for the sheep and goats as we and one grandson starting grabbing a few necessities and preparing to evacuate. I'd just unloaded our older car from last weekend's adventures the night before and was pounding out a few bumps and bruises and the hauler/trailer was right in front of the shop so we loaded that up. Horse trailer arrived and our old thoroughbred didn't like it and wouldn't get in it so the other thoroughbred, an 8 year old retired race horse, wouldn't either. Daughter-in-law and her girl friend jumped on them and rode bareback about 6 miles until they got them tired enough to load. Fire was at the back of our property and the propane tanks were blowing up at a couple of houses 1/2 mile down our back road. Grabbed the 3 dogs, opened up the gates for the goats and sheep and had to leave them, heart breaking as it was.

Made it to the county fairgrounds and the number of volunteers there was already in the hundreds and checking animals in. Fire was up to 2,400 acres and we were pretty sure our entire little community was gone. Sort of camped at my boy's construction company office that night and in the morning got word that our place was still there although almost all of our neighbors lost everything. Was worried sick about the rest of our animals and my cat, who would rather die than ride in a truck. Got word later in the morning that an Animal Evac volunteer group had managed to get in and haul our goats to the fairgrounds too. Little later a neighbor who snuck back in called and said the sheep were calmly eating grass in a field that didn't burn. Cat got locked in the house by firefighters and was in my recliner and ready for some grub after 3 days and she gave me a good talking to.

We were allowed back in late Saturday night and got all the animals home Sunday. Damage was limited to a couple of scorched fields, a few hundred feet of fence to rebuild and my old '80s yard art Late Model, parked about 12 feet behind my shop housing another new car, several engines and about 60 years accumulation of parts. Old Blue will probably never get restored now.

Don't know if it was pure luck, Karma or what that saved our place but friends who questioned why I rescue unwanted sheep, goats, and about anything that needs a home have at least a partial answer; that they keep the entire property eaten down so there's little fuel for fires. I'm also proud to be a small part of a place like Nevada County, that immediately has volunteers that jump in during these disasters. I love this area and can't imagine ever living elsewhere.

Sorry this is so lengthy but there's really not a way to condense it. Hope your week was less stressful.

[lurker]

over4T, and I thought I was having a bad week. You’ve been blessed. Thanks for sharing.

[CIRF]

Over, THAT story is an eye opener coming from the horses' mouth! I've never been anywhere near a fire situation such as you describe so I can't imagine the terror that a situation such as that brings with it.

It's GREAT to hear everything and everybody are alive, well and little to no property was destroyed.

Out here in the flatlands we deal with tornado's and I can only guess that the ferocity is similar, but in a different way, in a raging fire.

God Bless you and all your loved ones and animals.

[TS FAN]

Thanks for sharing this. Wish you the best

[over4T]

Thanks for your concerns guys. Reality and a return to normal is the priority now. Taking a break from digging postholes along the sheep side of the property as they supervise. Daughter in law calls me the Pied Piper for the way they follow me around.

Find out during situations like this that Mother Nature really is in control of things and that all you can really do is try to cooperate with her in being prepared, be it fire, tornadoes, hurricanes or whatever. For the most part she at least gives you some warning that it's coming or is very likely to as with our fires in the west. The largest wild fire in the country right now is the Dixie Fire at over half a million acres. Friends of ours up in the small mountain town of Greenville had their town pretty much leveled a couple of days ago much like the Paradise fire 3 years ago.

Some of you may remember the very likely collapse of the dam at Lake Oroville about 60 miles from us a couple of years ago. If it failed it was predicted to pour something like 60 feet of water down into the Sacramento area. That's as bad or worse than the New Orleans floods a few years back. For perspective on the drought out here the dam is now so low that that the hydroelectric plant it contains was shut down last week.

Been something of an adrenaline addict most of my life; auto racing, big wave surfing, motorcycles, diving from lighthouses on the Great Lakes, etc. Disasters, as anyone who has been in one will tell you, is a real overdose of adrenaline. Watching those air tankers dive down in canyons with hundreds of feet of flames surrounding you has to be the ultimate and those pilots that do it are super brave. Had a now gone friend who made his living as a cropduster and raced winged sprint cars on the weekends to keep an almost perpetual high going.

Doesn't matter what part of our country you live in but Mother Nature may have an unpleasant surprise for you in the future. I hope not but be as prepared as you can be.

[formercrewguy]

Glad things worked out for you over4T. My situation a scant 600 miles east of you in Az, is 180 degrees different. This monsoon season has brought us many inches of rain this year finally, with more coming. Mother nature is definitely in charge!!

[Buford.Justice]

Was at the hardware place a couple of miles from the ranch on Wednesday afternoon picking up a few more of the never ending supply of nuts and bolts this sport requires. Clear day, warm but not cooking, maybe a 3 mph breeze. Came out after my usual 10 or 15 minute stop, glanced toward home and the canyon between the store and home was burning. Maybe an acre or so but in drought ridden California you take that seriously, especially with all the huge fires already going. Called my son and daughter-in-law at their respective jobs about 9 miles in the other direction and told them to get back to the ranch.

Within ten minutes we were all there and a few of the smaller air tankers based in Grass Valley were there hitting it. Fire was already up to 10 acres and a few minutes later half the United States' fleet of C 130's based at the old McClellan Air Force Base 45 miles down the road in Sacramento were there dropping the largest loads of retardant I've ever seen. Fire was up over 100 acres by then and the total of 13 tankers and several helicopters looked like maybe they'd be able to contain it. That wish vanished when the fire jumped the river in the canyon and headed up towards us and it already had a name, the River Fire.

Had a horse trailer belonging to friends on the way and another livestock one for the sheep and goats as we and one grandson starting grabbing a few necessities and preparing to evacuate. I'd just unloaded our older car from last weekend's adventures the night before and was pounding out a few bumps and bruises and the hauler/trailer was right in front of the shop so we loaded that up. Horse trailer arrived and our old thoroughbred didn't like it and wouldn't get in it so the other thoroughbred, an 8 year old retired race horse, wouldn't either. Daughter-in-law and her girl friend jumped on them and rode bareback about 6 miles until they got them tired enough to load. Fire was at the back of our property and the propane tanks were blowing up at a couple of houses 1/2 mile down our back road. Grabbed the 3 dogs, opened up the gates for the goats and sheep and had to leave them, heart breaking as it was.

Made it to the county fairgrounds and the number of volunteers there was already in the hundreds and checking animals in. Fire was up to 2,400 acres and we were pretty sure our entire little community was gone. Sort of camped at my boy's construction company office that night and in the morning got word that our place was still there although almost all of our neighbors lost everything. Was worried sick about the rest of our animals and my cat, who would rather die than ride in a truck. Got word later in the morning that an Animal Evac volunteer group had managed to get in and haul our goats to the fairgrounds too. Little later a neighbor who snuck back in called and said the sheep were calmly eating grass in a field that didn't burn. Cat got locked in the house by firefighters and was in my recliner and ready for some grub after 3 days and she gave me a good talking to.

We were allowed back in late Saturday night and got all the animals home Sunday. Damage was limited to a couple of scorched fields, a few hundred feet of fence to rebuild and my old '80s yard art Late Model, parked about 12 feet behind my shop housing another new car, several engines and about 60 years accumulation of parts. Old Blue will probably never get restored now.

Don't know if it was pure luck, Karma or what that saved our place but friends who questioned why I rescue unwanted sheep, goats, and about anything that needs a home have at least a partial answer; that they keep the entire property eaten down so there's little fuel for fires. I'm also proud to be a small part of a place like Nevada County, that immediately has volunteers that jump in during these disasters. I love this area and can't imagine ever living elsewhere.

Sorry this is so lengthy but there's really not a way to condense it. Hope your week was less stressful.

You did a great thing in caring for the animals, their lives have more value than most people see...

But that cat had a right to chew you out. lol

Your state policies are too blame for a lot of these fires as are larsonists.

[fastford]

the good lord blessed you during this time over forty , like CIRF , out here in alabama , our biggest concern is tornados , we have close calls every year and have been blessed as well , we have horses , goats , chickens and a cow as well and i think the lord has a special deal for those that take care of his animals , I know it is a mess out that way with these fires and am glad to hear you did OK.......

[NorthAlabama]

I glad you were not hit bad. A tornado hit my place, 2 years ago? I was not there but the neighbors said that the lake boiled sucking up the water with the tornado. I was watching the weather channel 200 miles away and saw that the travel was right across my place, so the next morning, I just had to travel to look. Driving close to the turn off, off the main road, it look good, but at the turn, I saw the power company trucks and just knew I had been hit due to the westward direction it come from. It picked up a wheel barrel and sent it 10 yards up against a wall, busted a window, several shingles gone, limb busted part of the roof, up rooted several huge pines that just missed the cabin. Still a mess. Weather things can happen anywhere but fire and 200+ mph wind is real bad, nothing is left.