ugh.... unless the winds change... looks like i can't ride tonight

[caligurl]

or the next few days at the rate the fires going!

yesterday morning you could smell the smoke because early enough.. there was no wind... but it picked up during the day (unfortunately for fire fighters)

this morning... i ASSUMED it would do the same thing... clear out... so i actually left the evap cooler on when i left for work... THEN i saw how the smoke was hanging over the whole area (unlike yesterday)... soooooo i flipped a u-turn... went back home.. and turned on the a/c so as to not pull the smoke in the house (evap more economical in the desert than a/c)....

i still assumed it would clear... but now that it's almost noon.. it's looking worse.. not better.. so i'm very happy i went back home.. not only healthier for brie, baily and jasmine (dog, cat, cat) in the house... but keeps my house (and clothes) from reeking of smoke AND will help my sinuses...

the worst part... now that the smoke and ash are settling here... i really shouldn't be riding in it.... *sigh*..... hubby commuted in this morning (i don't think he realized how bad the smoke was) and i just paged him telling him that unless is suddenly clears out.. for health reasons i need to pick him and the bike up and drive him home....

but it's still got 4 hours for the winds to change... (but for the fire fighting sake... i hope the winds don't pick up!)

there are some amazing pics at one of the local newspaper sites is anyone is interested: the desert sun (http://www.thedesertsun.com)

several of the areas burned (burns canyon... pipes canyon... pioneer town) were some of our favorite places to mountain bike (and even road bike through pioneer town).... it's going to be so sad to go riding there once this is all over....

[Fredwina]

Some more pics at www.sbsun.com

[mimitabby]

oh, how awful!
get as far away from that as you can!

[caligurl]

thanx for the link!

i have another question... fellow dog owner/lovers...

brie (dog) normally stays in the house when we go to work or shopping... but on organized bike ride days.... because of the length of time we are gone... she goes out in the backyard (fenced... dig under proof... or at least has been for the last 9 years!) anyways... we have a ride saturday out of the area... but i'm hesistant to leave her outside.... any suggestions on how to convince her in the next day and a half that if we leave her inside... to pee on the floor and not the carpet?

i guess we could put a barricade up and only allow her to have the kitchen/dining room area for that day... we close off the bedrooms anyways... so we'd just be blocking her frrom the living room and hallway???

i just hate to leave her in the smoke (assuming it will still be smokey in 2 days since the fire is only about 15% contained).... since if it's not healthy for me... i'm certain it's not healthy for her smaller lungs!

she's never been paper trained... so i think she'd think papers were strange... or i could just leave papers by the door she uses to go out and hope that she'd go ring the bell to go out and have her accident by the door... on the paper (IF she didn't eat the paper first!)

[Brandy]

I hope that they can get the under control soon! :(

[mimitabby]

This will be very stressful for your dog!! Can't you take her somewhere for the day? better than locking her in where she knows she isn't supposed to "go"
and possibly having an accident.

[caligurl]

This will be very stressful for your dog!! Can't you take her somewhere for the day? better than locking her in where she knows she isn't supposed to "go"
and possibly having an accident.


no possibly about i! lol! as long as we'll be gone for the ride (drive time there... ride time... and drive time back)... there's no doubt she'll have to tinkle!!!!

she's NEVER been kenneled... so i would think that would be more stressful to her than being home? plus we'd have to take her tomorrow night and leave her there til... well.. possible monday????? not sure if they even do pickups on sundays!

i assumed (and you know what happens when you assume)... that she'd be better of in the house (away from the smoke)... even if she pees on the floor (pee cleans up! smoke may do permanent damage?)

if i hadn't already paid... i probably wouldn't even go... but decided to save the late fee and sent it in last week before the cut off (not to mention.. i'll at least get to ride since i assume (again) that the smoke isn't reaching that far....?????

too bad she wasn't litter trained like the cats!!!!!!

(plus i wouldn't be surprised if all the kennel spaces are taken with animal evacuees due to the fire?????)

[Blueberry]

Sorry to hear about the fires, Cali. What about Piddle Pads? They're supposed to be treated with a scent so the dogs know to "go" on them. Wonder how well that would work??

I WOULD NOT leave her outside, though. Little lungs with smoke damage would not be good. Even if she holds it and gets an infection, that's easier to treat....

Good luck whatever you decide. You don't have a neighbor who can let her out, do you? We have a regular pet sitter who lets our guys out when need be.

[caligurl]

i didn't think of the piddle pads! i wonder if our very small local pet store has them!?????

ya... she won't hold it the whole time we're gone... cuz she's had an accident in the house before when we've just been out a couple hours :confused: :confused: :confused: (she stays ALL day while we're at work... and we go for a ride on saturday... and came home to peepee on the floor???? and no.... we didn't yell at her! she obviously had to go! lol! AND it WAS on the floor... not the carpet! phew!)

[bcipam]

Cali:

I sort of know what you are going through. Last Fall OC had the Sierra Peak Fire which burned though some of the most beautiful, rugged MTB trails in OC. Most of Fremont Canyon, including the historic Tecate Cypress forest was destroyed. From my office building which is 15 miles away from the fire, there was this thick black cloud which the high winds pushed towards LA. It was so eerie looking. Of course during the fires riding was tough cause the smoke and ash was thick everywhere.

Thankfully the burned area is recovering. I was able to do a ride there last month and alot of plants which need fire to grow have appeared. Fire is a necessary part of nature but it always breaks my heart to see unnecessary destruction. The fire here was set by firefighters trying to do a backburn, wasn't the SD fires caused by fireworks?

[Nanci]

I'd just fence her in the kitchen and put newspaper by the door- that's where she'll probably go. You could even put some of her pee on the newspaper so maybe she'd think it was ok.

I wouldn't worry, though, it's not like she's going to have a guilty conscience the next day.

I don't know, though- I've had dogs that could hold it a VERY long time.

[caligurl]

The fire here was set by firefighters trying to do a backburn, wasn't the SD fires caused by fireworks?

the current fire was started by lightening strikes! (same thing with the fires in the national park that last 2 weekends!)

[Pedal Wench]

If you took her to a good kennel, she would be fine. Some of them have playtime, and I like knowing someone is looking out for my dog, so if he gets sick or something, there's a human there to make sure he gets taken care of. Mine LOVES going to the 'hotel', and starts jumping all over the car when he realizes that's where we're going.

Do you know anyone who could come over and let her out at some point during the day? One pp break would probably do it.

[SR500]

Do you have a neighbor, babysitter, dog walking service, etc... Our neighbor usually takes care of the dogs, but in a pinch we call one of the girls that babysits and they are usually happy to earn a little extra cash for letting the dogs out.

[btchance]

I'd just fence her in the kitchen and put newspaper by the door- that's where she'll probably go. You could even put some of her pee on the newspaper so maybe she'd think it was ok.

I wouldn't worry, though, it's not like she's going to have a guilty conscience the next day.

I don't know, though- I've had dogs that could hold it a VERY long time.

I agree with Nanci here. Also, I've had dogs who would go to the bathroom every hour when I was at home, but I could leave for 15+ hours and 95% of the time they would never have an accident. A lot of jumping around telling me they had to go out when I got home, but they did hold it.

I wouldn't leave the dogs outside. The smoke can harm their lungs.

Stay safe, and I hope that they get the fires under control soon, and have fun this weekend.