any idea how it might be in the Sierras? death ride's this weekend. :rolleyes:
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any idea how it might be in the Sierras? death ride's this weekend. :rolleyes:
EPA's AQI site: http://www.airnow.gov/
It's definitely going to get much more hazey out this week. I live on the peninsula so we don't get the worst of the haze, but I'm definitely noticing that there aren't clear blue skies out today. I feel for folks in the eastbay (and in other areas who have poorer air quality). On my way home from class this morning I could see the brown haze sitting on top of the eastbay. I'm not sure if I'll ride to work today. Today, the deciding factor isn't the air quality but the heat. When I ride to work during 90 degree heat, I can't stop sweating even well after my ride in an air conditioned building! It's a bit embarrassing :o
Up here in Truckee it's good in the morning, but seems to get bad in the afternoon. I rode on Rt 89 from Truckee to Alpine Meadows yesterday about 4pm. It was beautiful until I passed Squaw. Then it suddenly got terribly smoky. I had to turn around at Alpine because I couldn't breathe. North of Squaw it was good again. I guess the mountains just funnel the smoke down in places.
Roadie gal - I'm wondering if perhaps it is better higher up and the smoke settles lower down?
I can't find any data from the AQ board on the Sierras south of Tahoe. I guess we'll see when we get there. As someone with a history of pretty scary lung disorder, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. Hoping higher elevations are better. Seems ok in Nevada.
Last night's news showed a view of South Shore. Couldn't even see the lake, the smoke was so thick.
Yeah I saw that on the news last night too! Ugly!
I think the only saving grace for the Death ride is that I don't think there are any fires in that immediate area. I think the reason Sac/Auburn/Tahoe area are so smoky is because of the Foresthill complex fires and another one near Blue Canyon/I-80. I don't think there are any major fires south of there.
If you are curious on some of the passes I would call stores in the area...for example call The Lake Alpine Lodge on Ebbetts Pass (209-753-6350) and Markleeville stores to see what its like in the area.
Good luck and I know today in Sacramento is UGLY! Already about 90 and smoky. Not riding today. AQI is supposed to be over 150.
I haven't noticed that it's any better higher up. I've tried walking the dogs on some of the higher trails and it's still miserable. It's more a matter of which way the wind is blowing.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
It was weird driving home from work last night. The air didn't smell of smoke at all, but the moon was a deep reddish orange. Creepy
The sun is a big orange ball this morning. I'm suppose to do short brick repeats today. Between the heat and the air quality, I have little enthusiasm for that.
V.
I'm in Pollock Pines...not exactly close to the Death Ride, but not too far away. It's been pretty good here in the mornings but gets really bad by the afternoon. Hopefully the Markleeville area is seeing the same trend. I agree that it might not be as bad over there because the smoke is coming from the Foresthill and Paradise areas and not from the South. It's breezy here this morning...blowing downhill towards the west...and so far the smoke isn't bad at all (well, it's not good...but much better than it has been).
Thanks, Rolliepollie! (My daughter is headed to camp outside Pollock Pines this weekend after Death Ride! :D ).
I've also got emails into 2 friends who live in NV and ride the area regularly and will be calling some local places, as suggested.
Today is by far one of the worst days so far. I was driving down from El Dorado Hills to Sacramento and visibility was at about 2-3 miles....ugh.
It smells wicked and it seems to be getting thicker as the day goes on.
Nothing like 106 and smokey. I talked to a friend in Minnesota (CA native) and I am usually bragging about it being 80 and sunny when its 35 and blizzard there...not today! Its 83 in MN an Beautiful...its her turn!
I took the motorcycle to work (Oakland), and had to go to Walnut Creek to have lunch with a friend. I swear once I went through the Caldecott tunnel headed east it was like I was riding on the surface of the sun! No fun at all. (It is so much cooler on this side of the Berkeley hills.) And smokier on that side as well.
Just got back from lunch break and feel sick. The smoke is getting thicker by the minute. I sat outside anyway because the air conditioning inside is so cold . . . nothing like thawing out in 100+ degree temps. But now my throat is sore, my eyes sting, and I'm feeling headachey and nauseous. Also, my clothes and hair smell like a campfire. UGH. Will this ever end??? :confused::confused::confused:
I do feel for those who are right in the line of fire, losing their homes and such. I really shouldn't feel so bad that all it's doing to me is making it so I can't ride and run outdoors. What a whiner I am. :rolleyes:
I rode to work (Oakland), arrived a little breathless. I thought I'd be late but instead had enough time to sip coffee before starting work. But when I sat in the air conditioned building I had a cough, felt the dust on my lungs.
I'll take it real easy on the way home. Might not ride for a bit :(
I did 3/4 of a brick in it - all the bike, not all of the run. I stopped because I was having some other issues. It is 107 degrees in my back yard, which is shaded.
The sky is not great, but I can't smell smoke when I go outside.
If it gets under 85 before dark, I'd like to go out and try for another run.
V.
I may have to eat my words. Now it's super smoky here...worse than I've ever seen. Hopefully it will clear out during the night.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
Unfortunately I don't have AC of any kind so I rely on opening the windows at night to cool the house down. Not sure I'm going to be opening those windows tonight though! But...I shoudn't complain...at least I still have a house. Right now I'm making a "fire list" just in case there's a fire nearby this summer and we get evacuated. I might even throw a few things in boxes to be extra prepared.
-sara
Sara I know what you mean.
We're in prime fire territory and I made my husband get an extra backup drive to take to the office so we have our photos, etc if our house and computer go.
I agree with you guys, yesterday was among the worst so far. I heard that the Plumas fire complex flared back up yesterday. I'm sure that's what is sending us most of the smoke.
My heart goes out to anyone who's house is threatened.
sara, be safe. I hope you don't have to evacuate. I keep a "go box" of important papers near the door. No fire danger here but does not hurt to be prepared for quakes, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by RolliePollie
We actually have a breeze out here tonight! And it's cool enough to have the windows open! I hope this is good news.. for everybody.
It's still 93 degrees at my house.
Did you know that Mount Diablo State Park is closed because of fire danger?
V.
Downright chilly here.
But there's a smoke advisory in the Sierras, and apparently it is pretty bad in Nevada as well. :(
You have some help from some lovely experienced Victorian firefighters coming your way!
Keep safe!
Victoria ... Australia?!?
Wow, that's a long trip to go fight a fire! Is there more to the story?
I remember last year some US firefighters came down to help with the bushfires round Aust..
Most of the folks are trained in fighting fires in the high bushland/mountainous areas in Vic..
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...10/2300512.htm
Ugh. This has been an awful week. It was apparently much cooler than predicted in Sacramento yesterday (it was supposed to be 109 but never got to 100) but the smoke and humidity were so bad that you couldn't tell. We normally open our windows at night and in the morning, but we haven't done that in a week.
We are all sick with colds, and the baby is coughing a lot. I can't tell if it is the smoke or just the cold. Either way, we are keeping her inside and she is bored out of her mind. No bike rides around here ... the air hurts your eyes as soon as you step outside.
Yeah, it was only 102.4 here yesterday and today it looks like we're about 5-10 degrees cooler than this time yesterday, so at least it looks like we're getting some sort of relief. Still very hazy though. I started getting lightheaded and dizzy during my ballet class last night. UGH.
Less smoky here in the foothills above Placerville tonight...and much cooler. I have all the windows wide open and my whole house fan is doing a great job pulling in the cool air. This morning the smoke was horrendous but it cleared pretty well during the day. The smoke smell actually woke me up in the night...and lately I haven't even been able to smell it since I think my nostrils are just used to it now. Luckily, for some strange reason the smoke doesn't seem to be bothering me too much (knock on wood) so I'm pretty determined to do a 40-ish mile ride tomorrow morning. I'm just praying the smoke doesn't pour back in tonight like it did last night.
Rollie Pollie- two of my very dearest friends live in Pollock Pines. I come up occasionally to visit and would LOVE to ride around the area. Where do you go when you are out for a 40ish mile ride?
We've got plenty of fog down here in the Bay Area, and I understand that the Butte County fire is finally winding down. However, I also just read that lightning is forecast again for that area this weekend. :(:(:(
Hopefully the Death Ride folks are okay. They start out pretty early (4:30-5:00AM) so at least some should be able to beat the heat.
Oooh, I think you need to come visit your friends and go for a ride! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bike Goddess
There are lots of great route options around this area, but my typical longer ride is to go all the way from Pollock down to Placerville and back. I stay on the back roads through Apple Hill as much as possible, which makes for a prettier ride with less traffic...and also adds quite a few miles and hills. Let me know if you're ever up here and maybe we can ride together! Or at least I can provide you more details, maps, water refilling spots, etc.
Here's a website with some good route info and maps:
http://www.beautifulvista.com/bike_rides_index.htm
Less smoke up here today...and much cooler too. I have a feeling the Death Riders may have lucked out. It's getting worse as the day progresses, but when I left for my ride about 7:30 this morning, it was better than it's been over the last few days. Visibility was hazy but you could actually see quite a ways.
we completely lucked out for death ride. friday we came down carson pass and you could see nothing - it was awful. saturday morning at the start, there were sstars - it stayed clear all day! (the hail, rain and lightning were somewhat disconcerting, but better than riding in smoke.)
and today it is hazy/smoky again. we lucked out.
driving through Redding now. It is AWFUL - worse than last week. hope it's better in the bay area.
It's baaack . . . UGH! Very smoky today. :(
Come on up to Tahoe. Our air is finally clear. I hope it lasts.
We aren't having dangerous air this year, which is terrific, but it's been remarkably hazy here for the last few weeks, and our "smoke" is courtesy of the Callifornia fires -- Thanks for sharing, ladies!
(Last year, DH started bike commuting to work, but then the air went bad due to fires around us, and heh wound up driving his car all summer instead. This year, he's even riding in the rare event of rain!)
Karen in Boise
Sheesh, we're socked in with smoke again. I think this summer is taking years off of my lungs.
Yeah we haven't had great air here all week. Finally a bit better. We went to Pollock Pines to get the kid from camp yesterday, and it was pretty smoky on the way. They're in a bit of a valley high up there by Desolation Wilderness, so they had decent air for camp.
The smoke seems to be blowing to the east here today. Looking up towards the mountains in the Tahoe direction, it looks horrible. When I got up this morning, it smelled smoky, but I took off towards the west on my bike and it was almost perfectly clear just a few miles down the hill. By the time I got home, it was pretty much clear here in Pollock Pines too. This is definitely the summer of smoke. I noted on my calendar that the first really bad smoke day here was June 22, so it's already been over a month of bad air quality. I'm probably going to end up with emphysema from riding in it.