Where there is smoke.....

I have finally found something I detest about Boise.  Yes, detest.  It is an area that Boise fails me.  Apparently it isn't usually this bad - but even just a week of this is enough for me.

What is it?



SMOKE.

It's not one of those things you really consider before moving, at least I didn't.  Hmmmmm, how many cruddy air quality days will we have due to surrounding wildfires?  I have asthma - so I actually did look at air quality stuff before we moved.  It seemed a bit worse than I would have expected for the area, but I didn't think much of it.  NOW I know why. 

The way the mountains and air currents work, the smoke from surrounding fires gets stuck in Treasure Valley.  Yay.  Right now we are going on almost a week of it just sitting here.  In the beginning of the summer the smoke was interesting to see.  It started like this:

Oh look, there is some smoke from a fire.  Makes for a pretty sunset.

 

Oh, hmmmm, more smoke.  Just a hint of a smell.

This is a normal view of the Oregon Trail area near our subdivision.

This is a view earlier this summer.  That is all smoke. 

Here is a normal view of our backyard.

Another normal view.

And this was it on Saturday.  This week the trees are even hazy.  So over it.

It clears up a bit by evening, but still....you'd think there was rain in those clouds.  Nope.  I actually don't remember the last time we had rain.....

You open the door and you smell smoke.  You walk outside and your hair smells like smoke when you come back in.  The dog smells like smoke.  The house smells like smoke.......

We see planes landing and think of how annoying it must be for them too.  Apparently visibility was reduced to 2 miles on Sunday (expected to get worse this week).  Normal is at least 10 miles, sometimes up to 50 miles.  That link will give you a run down of some of the current fires too.

Add a baby taking up a large portion of my lung capacity with the asthma and I'm done.  Inside activities for us.  I've also been feeling the desire to move around lately - so I'm thinking trips to the mall to burn off energy will be a regular part of our routine now. 

I don't think she minds.......

We are told by everyone that it isn't normally this bad - they can't recall a summer this smokey.  Apparently the air quality is worse than it has been in years.  Making it into the red category the other day and the orange today.  So, we picked the right summer to move to Boise! Lucky us!

The Idaho Statesman tells us "Boise might get a break from smoky, soupy air on Wednesday. Might."  Their confidence is overwhelming.

Of course, why all the smoke?  Well - Idaho is on fire.  And Oregon.  And Nevada.  And Wyoming.  And Utah.  And....well the entire West is pretty much on fire.

Yes, there is an ap for that.

This was Idaho the other day.

I've heard it has been dry and that has something to do with it.  Just a little.  Lightening seems to actually be the main culprit for setting them. 

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/14/2231230/boise-might-get-a-break-from-smoky.html#storylink=cpy



The closest one we've had this summer, aside from a little grass one that was put out easily, was the "Micron" fire in July.  It burned over 2,000 acres, but was blown away from us, which is good since Micron is across the street from our subdivision.  We've discussed before that they are probably set up for fire stuff since that would be a very expensive building to burn, and it appears that they are. 

Driving home and realizing, hmmmmm, that seems to be right around our exit.

Yup, there is Micron, helicopters, and a nice big old patch of burned land.

Several helicopters working on it, which Little Lady LOVED!

To the left is Micron, and to the right is the area the fire started.  Straight ahead are the hills you see from our backyard - well, that you usually see, when there isn't a mess of smoke outside.

I knew it!  There is apparently some kind of water container behind Micron.  The helicopters were filling their buckets there.  Made much faster work for them I'm sure, otherwise they would have to fly to Lucky Peak, which is still pretty close.

Carrying a water filled bucket.

Another helicopter and a bunch of burned land. :-(

This is the view by our house - basically looking from the hills side.  You can see all the burned land.  Still looks like that - a bunch of blackened earth.  Sad.

Well, I'm hoping there is at least a little relief tomorrow.  I probably sound like such a complainer, but having asthma really does affect you with this stuff.  I hate it.  It is one of those things you can't really do anything about, which really bothers me.  I don't think Little Lady will have an issue with it because I'm pretty sure it was caused by living in a mold filled house for a bit as a child (seriously, mold is no joke) since my Mother, Sister and I seem to be the only ones in our family with asthma issues.  Little Lady and Chris are each having runny noses and itchy eyes and I round out the bunch with an awesome cough that sounds like I've been smoking for 50 years and have an oxygen tank.  I'm just ready for a little break from it.  I think I'll go rub my itchy eyes, take a couple hits off the inhaler and call it a night.  I'll try to dream happy, clean air dreams.