11 thoughts on “Goddamn brushfire 3

      1. hholycow, wind gusts of 80 mph? Catastrophic. Never heard that term before.

        Air pushes through the passes and canyons of the Santa Ynez Range, especially through the Gaviota Pass, San Marcos Pass, Montecito foothills, and some smaller canyons.

        Nasty venturi effects, that. Try to minimize the fire fuel and protect structures all you can, bye you can't change the geography.

        1. Yes, when those winds come through it's exactly that.

          There's actually a passage in Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast when he's in Santa Barbara where a Sundowner comes through, although no fire along with it. Just toxic-ly hot wind gusts that made people drop dead. And that was in the 1830s.

          1. I don't think they're a regular feature. They only happen maybe once a decade..

            Dana is wonderful. One of my very favorite books. I had it on my shelf my whole life but never read it until about 20 years ago, I'd always assumed it was about whipping sailors and terrible things on board a ship, so – ugh. But when I finally did, I found that it was really about California in the 1830s and rounding the horn, beautifully written, and only about a page or two about sailor abuse. I also didn't realize that it was instrumental in people moving to California, before the 49ers, of course.

          2. Good, though once a Decade is once too many IMHO.

            I've read excerpts from Two Years in various collected Sea Story books and really liked them. In my mind I put it in with London's The Sea Wolf.

            I don't know what reminded me of this, but | The Pyrates | is good absurdist comedy fun. Probably because the news lately has been so grim.

  1. Well, we got none around here , unusually, all in the high country. Biggest one is Jack Fire @33850 acres.
    Dog Head near Alb @ 13K. Mid N.M the North Fire@28K

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