In the West, wildfires are an all too common occurrence. There is far less rain activity than in the East and that leads to dry conditions which are a wildfire's dream come true. The dry conditions combined with lightning strikes are a major cause of numerous fires in remote places. Mom found an App that tells where the wildfires are and how many are going at one time. It's amazing the number of fires that are being battled by professionals and volunteers alike.
Now we are finding that our future trip planning has to include checking the area we are going go to and be sure there are no wildfires to contend with. Wildfires are not only dangerous to be around, but they obscure the surrounding area so that tourists often can't see the sights they came to see because of too much smoke. Driving through smoke can be treacherous and sometimes deadly, so the best thing to do is avoid the area completely. Firefighters ask that you not enter an area where a wildfire is being fought because you will be in their way as they move equipment to fight the fire and you will give them another thing to worry about, your safety!
Some of the brave men and women who fight these fires pay the ultimate price. This prairie fire was started by lightning, the wind changed suddenly, and these brave men lost their lives trying to save their neighbors' property.
On Saturday, Aug. 4th we drove to Baker City, Oregon, and stayed overnight at a nice motel in the city. The temperature was in the high nineties again so we didn't walk much until near sundown. There was a nice paved walking park along the river that we walked along before going to bed.
On Sunday, Aug 5th we drove a few more hours back to Idaho and to the state capital of Boise. The temperature in the city was up over 100 again. We are staying in a nice studio house on an old Army Reserve in the foothills around Boise that used to an artillery range. The City of Boise purchased the area after the Army no longer needed it and turned it into a series of hiking trails. The trails are such that hikers can look out over the city below from several overlooks.
We got up early on Monday morning, Aug. 6th to get in a hike ahead of the heat. Mom was snapping away with her camera and got a picture of Dad and me as we walked on the trail.
A short while later we met a couple of others who were hiking and I tried to make friends with them. This is "Bullock" a Great Dane and his human mother.
Bullock was very playful, but I'm still hesitant when meeting big dogs, and he was HUGE. His head was nearly as tall as my Mom's shoulders and his Mom said he weighs 160 pounds. Our parents talked for quite a while and his Mom was very helpful with advice for my parents as to where they could take me in the city.
In the afternoon we explored Julia Davis Park in the center of the city next to the Snake River. It was very hot again, 97 degrees, so we didn't walk far.
Tomorrow we will be exploring more of the City of Boise, Idaho
No comments:
Post a Comment