Had to escape from the "Summit Fire" nearby. Ash and smoke everywhere.
The part of California where I live has patches of redwood forest encroached upon by civilization. The fire started in a rural area about 7 miles from where I live. Even though I am in a city (and surrounded by strawberry fields), I am well protected from it spreading to my area or home.
Strong southerly winds drove the smoke and ash directly into town, and further. I haven't had an asthma attack in at least a year and I didn't want to wait around to see what would happen.
Since my son and his wife live in San Francisco, it made sense to go stay up there. Conveniently, I had a medical appointment today at UCSF. So, I used a tank of gas to complete two tasks at $4.15 a gallon!
The fire has moved further up the mountain and since the wind has turned north, I think it's safe to go home and sleep in my own bed tomorrow. The weatherman says it looks like we will be having rain this weekend.
The picture, I took with my cell phone as I drove east out of town. Notice the size of the trees in the middle line and you can get an idea of the size of the cloud of smoke. It was approximately seven miles away, in Corralitos. The hills in the background are where the fire has now moved.
Note:
See more info from Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Fire
