Nor Cal & North SF Bay GTG (November 11-14, 2022)

[tylerbeach3]

Its growing. The smell of the smoke has changed a bit now. Started as leafy brush fire smell now it garbage/plasticy. Hope everyone stays safe over there!

Jeremy, good to hear you are coming, see you sat.

 

[lightj12]

Yes, looking forward to it; 180 mi to the SW and getting hammered

 

[madhatte]

Latest I can find 2030:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cn...rnia-camp-fire-hospital-evacuation/index.html

We're in I think Anderson tonight, should hit Boethe early afternoon tomorrow.

 

[RandyMac]

There was a bar in anderson called Big Linda's, the proprietress was exorbitantly busty.

 

[Eccentric]

Smoke and falling ash here again today. We're something like 200 miles from the fire. Crazy....

 

[rocketnorton]

sub

 

[madhatte]

Just south of Red Bluff

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[tylerbeach3]

Still smokey but relative humidity has risen and the air is still, we should be good to go to get some work done this weekend. I look forward to seeing you all. Bad air quality from wildfire is nothing new to most of us but i do have some masks if anyone needs...

 

[tylerbeach3]

Just south of Red Bluff

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

70,000 acres now........ 5% containment

 

[madhatte]

5 may as well be zero, those folks have their hands full.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[tylerbeach3]

Ill be around. Picking up chipper at 4 from town. Spent more time than i thought moving the old bucket truck so there is a little prep left at our camp spot. Just fire wood, moving some stuff to make room. Anyone ariving if im not there make yourselves at home and i should be back soon. My cell707.266.4133.

 

[Eccentric]

Looks like I won't be there until tomorrow morning. Sorry folks. Too many things to do here before leaving, and I'm still really sick. Been outside working all day and the smoke and ash ain't helping any.

Going to rest up this evening and megadose on some vitimin C. Will get there before 0800hrs. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

 

[Bob95065]

I can't make it. I had some unexpected work travel come up this weekend. I'll see you next year. Sorry

 

[madhatte]

Dang yo, we'll miss you

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[2dogs]

The 2018 Napa GTG shall hereby be and in perpetuity be referred as the Year of the Walnut!

atpchas provided the GTG members and friends with a portion of his harvest of walnuts and cherry tomatoes for our pleasure. As walnuts are one of the foods most recommended by my doctor I took full advantage of the situation and ate my fill. schuck.k (Kevin) tried to keep up with me but fell short. The park provided us with FOUR MEALS! Thanks Tyler, Jess, and Jake.

Friday and Sunday we could not work due to Red Flag conditions. All weekend the skies were grey/red due to drift smoke from the Camp fire near Chico. Saturday however had humidity high enough so that we could run saws. (We had a compliment of fire tools close at hand, just in case). We watched Madhatte (Nate) instruct his brother Trevor in the fine art of snag falling. They are both still vertical. Kevin put his rigging skills to work pulling a tree away from a cluster of gas meters. lightj12 (Jeremy) cut down a large dying Madrone. That guy knows how to sharpen a chain, his saw was throwing BIG chips. I took down one small leaning Big Leaf Maple. Kevin, Nate and Charley(?) pulled down a little dead fir with a rope while I yelled and everyone laughed. Nate fell in a clump of poison oak. Yeah, he's allergic. Whenever a tree hit the ground a swarm of AS ants converged on it and made fire wood and slash in no time at all. There were a couple other trees we had to cancel on due to campers in the area. There will be a next time.

I especially enjoy the company at these events. Listening to Eccentric (Aaron) rattle of saw statistics is simply amazing. PasoRoblesJimmy had defense industry related stories that I could listen to all day. We had a member from Alabama show up! Greg (help me with your screen name please), was working on a line clearance crew for PG&E just a few miles away and spent Saturday with us. He is a true gentleman.

The highlight of my weekend was visiting with RandyMac. There is a man who has done more than the rest of us put together. Listening to his experiences it is surprising he didn't get himself killed fourty years ago. Like the saying goes, Beware the old man in a game where many men die young.

Until next year...

 

[tylerbeach3]

Excellent recap 2dogs! Thanks to all how came, fun weekend. I certainly missed those of you that could not make it. Next year.

 

[atpchas]

I'll echo 2dogs' appraisal of the company and the eats.
It was neat to see entire trees dispatched in a matter of minutes with all willing hands pitching in.
Sorry I wasn't there to participate on Sunday but my lungs were telling me that I needed to stay indoors.
Looking forward to next year and praying that it won't be accompanied by more fires - 2 years in a row is more than enough.

 

[madhatte]

Just got home and the RV unloaded. Trevor and I had a blast, as always. Hauling Randy up the coast was a hoot, as well. Dude has a story around every corner of that old 101. I am only a little bummed that we had so little cutting opportunity as the hike cross-country from the mill back to camp was a highlight that wouldn't have happened had we been snaggin'. Thanks again to all and sundry for making this event so much fun!

 

[madhatte]

Oh, and I did manage to get a spot of the old poison-oak... in my ARM PIT! had to be from when I took a dive in a million twigs of the stuff. Oh well.

 

[atpchas]

Oh, and I did manage to get a spot of the old poison-oak... in my ARM PIT! had to be from when I took a dive in a million twigs of the stuff. Oh well.

Man, I am so glad that I am practically immune to PO. Sorry, I just had to rub it in (so to speak) - hope your rash is minor and dissipates quickly.