HAL4NOW

Good advice. I don't think it would be difficult for anyone to figure out who I am if they wanted to do a minimal amount of research. My DW and I will be sailing on the Koningsdam from October 8-24, but our house will not be empty. A couple from Orondo, WA, will be staying there. We also have neighbors that know everything that is happening on our block. They aren't nosy; they are just aware, and we all care about each other and watch out for each other.

You might still be able to see old listing pictures on Zillow by putting in the address.

Would a stair lift add to the years of enjoyment in the house?

I enjoyed a sunrise walk in Westport this morning. A friend also took a picture of our church in Skykomish this morning. You can see smoke rising on the hillside left of the church, but the sky doesn't look terrible to the east.

One of my brothers just moved to Williston, FL, but he is coming from North Carolina and has dealt with hurricanes before. Our family was raised in Ruston, WA, and we experienced the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 (Typhoon Freda). I have never experienced a hurricane, and struggle to spell it correctly. I have no desire to experience a hurry-cane.

If a person speaks three languages, they are trilingual; if a person speaks two languages, they are bilingual; if a person speaks one language, they are American. We left Skykomish for Westport after church yesterday, and on the way to Westport got multiple text messages telling us the evacuation level had changed from level one (Ready), to level two (set). The fire has been flanking, backing, creeping, and getting roll-out for the past few days as it burns toward town. Today and tomorrow, fire conditions are increasing as the temperatures go up and the humidity goes down. It will be nice to be away from the smoke for a couple days, and we needed to pick up some things from the condo for our upcoming cruise. Our plan is to return to Skykomish on Wednesday, but we will keep an eye on the fire reports and determine the best timing.

The strategic objectives on this fire mostly call for containment and monitoring. The fire crews have used this time to cut lines of defense, but since those lines haven't all been tested by the fire it is only considered 7% contained at this point. A lot of resources are being used to monitor the progress of the fire. It has only grown about 200 acres in the past three days, so that is considered progress. There is no plan to even attempt to contain the fire on the northern boundary, as that goes into designated wilderness area and the rules of engagement are different. Many natural barriers to fire growth (like steep rock faces and streams) exist on the north side of this fire.

Fire activity on the Bolt Creek Fire has been quieter the past 24 hours. It is expected to flare up again and begin moving faster over the next three days as RH decreases and temperatures get up into the 80's all three days. Highway 2 is opened now, so we have access to services to the west again. These pictures are from yesterday and last night:

I noticed this too late for an edit. I think I meant 'angels', but some of the kids were obtuse and acute.

And the outlet malls and other shopping centers continue to feel the loss of volume from Canadian customers.

One year during my teaching career, my co-teacher had a rabbit as one of the classroom pets. This was a classroom of children that had been diagnosed with Severe Behavior Disorders. All of the children were angles compared to that rabbit. He got named BD (for behavior disorder). BD chewed anything with wood or plastic. Electrical and computer cords, floor molding, desks, cupboards, etc. That wasn't the worst of it though. BD liked to mark his territory by leaping into the air and shooting a sticky liquid at whatever he fancied; and he really fancied the other teacher. The kids loved it and found this behavior to be quite humorous. The other teacher, not so much.

With the ridges and canyons and valleys in our area, even when the wind blows from the north or the south, it gets diverted and becomes an east or west wind. Because of that, each time the wind shifts or changes, the fire keeps burning back onto itself. There is so much fuel in the forest that it could do this for a year or more without any significant weather events. Since we get feet of snow every year, we don't anticipate the fire going much past October 1st. All of that being said, the air quality in Skykomish hasn't been too bad. Yesterday the air quality index in town was about 46. Leavenworth is about 30 miles east of us as the crow flies and their air quality was over 100, even though they are much further from the fire.

Just another quick update on the Bolt Creek Fire near Skykomish: Highway 2 is opening a couple days earlier than anticipated; it should open tomorrow at 10 AM. The fire continues to creep, but it was a lot quieter today and tonight than the previous 48 hours. Temperatures are expected to get back into the high 80's of the next few days and no rain in the forecast until at least Thursday. These pictures were taken today and tonight:

I have OBC for three different cruises that we have booked for this year and next year. The APP says, "YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ONBOARD CREDITS". It always says that, even though I have OBC for every cruise we have taken. Not sure why it doesn't show any, but that has been my experience. It doesn't concern me. When I get onboard, I can see the credit on my statment so I have never looked for the OBC in my profile while onboard. Maybe I should try looking there next month when we are cruising.

We would gladly accept any rain sent our way. It will take a significant weather event to put out the Bolt Creek Fire. The volume of rain you showed in your driveway might qualify; it also might create some landslide activity.

Relative humidity was higher today and the temperatures stayed lower, so there was less fire movement than the day before, but it continues to creep along the ridges and fire is moving up and down the hillsides. I went out tonight hoping to see a dark hillside and these pictures are what I saw instead.

I was just outside observing the slope to the north of Skykomish from the end of our street. The fire has died down a lot since earlier today, but it is still pretty active. We can hear large trees falling and rolling and crashing through the forest.

The fire flared up again today as temperatures rose, winds increased, and humidity decreased. The flames sounded like jet engines each time a new cluster of forest erupted. Thankfully, the wind is heading in a favorable direction and the town of Skykomish remains on a level one evacuation notice. Fresh fire is being started by burning logs rolling down the hillside. And the fall crocuses also decided to flare up.

OBC shows up in your cruise confirmation notice, under Guest Information. I have never seen OBC listed anywhere on the website or in the Navigator App.

The fire has died down now that the temperatures have dropped down into the 30's and 40's at the fire elevation. It doesn't seem to be threatening the town of Skykomish right now. Thanks for your prayers and concern: @Cruising-along, @cat shepard, @Quartzsite Cruiser, @aliaschief, and @HAL Sailer. I just might go to bed and maybe even get some sleep tonight.

The Bolt Creek fire just crested the ridge north of Skykomish and is burning its way down toward town.

Bolt Creek Fire Update: Rather than reporting percent of containment, the Incident Commander is trying to educate the public on a different measurement method--percent of strategic objectives completed. With that measurement, completion is at 90%. Highway 2 remains closed at this time to all traffic from Money Creek to Skykomish. Highway 2 is only opened for local traffic (ID required) between Index and Money Creek. Skykomish School district remains closed since the fire started. USPS delivery has not happened since the fire started. UPS, FedEx, HDL, Medical Supply companies, etc., deliveries have not happened since the fire started. Eleven days is a long time for some to go without getting mail or home deliveries. Medications run out, oxygen tanks need replenished, etc. Today's wind has moved the smoke west again; good for us, not for the larger population area to the west. Travel to and from Skykomish is still possible, but about two hours is added to the trip each way for basic doctor visits and other appointments. Visiting family members and friends has become impossible for many. In the midst of all of this, we are grateful that there was no loss of life or injuries and only one small outbuilding lost to this fire. It is far from being out, but we are much closer to being back to normal than most of Puerto Rico at this time.

I would love a cheeseburger and anticipate having one at the Dive-In, on the Koningsdam, less than three weeks from today. I appreciate my wife so much that I will be driving her to Vancouver for a cruise to Hawaii. Today, we will be adding a couple of hours to our trip to the coast because of the Highway 2 closure. Although most of the people that had been evacuated were able to return home yesterday (level 3 evacuation adjusted to level 2 for Baring, Grotto, and Money Creek area), the highway is closed from Money Creek to Skykomish. There have been large trees falling down onto the road for the past four days and nights. A 200-foot Douglas fir with a girth of 45 to 50 inches is not something to fool with while it is hurling itself toward you.

Here is a graphic from the official Bolt Creek Fire Information page on FB. We got a little rain yesterday and the smoke in town has dissipated quite a bit.

@Cruising-alongHighway 2 is closed at least until Monday, so your weekend plans will require driving around. A large tree slid onto the highway near town yesterday and went through the guardrail. Safety continues to be a concern with the hillside compromised by the fire. Crews are cutting and clearing burnt out trees and clearing rocks and fire debris from the road.