Oregon's Fires, and Some updates about me...

[K'Tesh]

[EDIT] Changed the name of this thread, as things have evolved significantly since I started it. Be safe everyone.

Well I've got some news today...

A package that was sent to me back in March that arrived in April, only to be turned back to Ohio due to the lack of an itemized invoice (or face destruction here in China) has finally arrived back in Ohio. While the box was kinda beat up, apparently the contents appear to be fairly undamaged. What was sent was my ALIENS 1/35 scale resin APC kit, an Optima, an original Citation Patriot, a Centuri MARS Project display kit, an old (Red, White and Black) Alpha II, an Apogee Avion, and my Holverson Swinger (the box did not contain the Maxi Brute HOJO that I thought was being sent). As most kits were in smaller boxes inside the larger box, they made it OK.

My AstroCam (digital version) was unboxed for me to watch. Regrettably, my computer locked up (needing rebooting), and the recorded portion of the Zoom meeting looks to be lost.

The really scary news is that my mom's house (and all my household goods (including my (non-Ohio) US portion of the rocket collection)) is in a portion of Oregon that is danger close to an active wildfire. My mom is safe, and staying with my sister (a firefighter) right now, but she's kind of worried about her home. On the good side, her home is in a part of the community with few trees (though there is dry grass fields around it, and her home is buffered by a street from one of them). I'm fairly certain that if the neighborhood can be defended against grass fires, things will be OK.

Praying for everyone who are facing these fires, as well as the pandemic.

Be safe everyone.

God Bless!
Jim

 

[OverTheTop]

I hope your parents and friends dodge those fires. Not good to be close to that sort of stuff.

 

[Marc_G]

Keeping you in my thoughts! Best wishes to your family and homestead.

 

[PBic]

Good luck Jim! I sure hope it works out well for you and your mother. I understand your concern. I'm down here in Eugene, and while not in imminent danger, got our go-bags sitting by the door. Hope the smoke is not as bad there as it is here. You probably have this, but in the event you don't, here's a good resource to see what's going on - https://fire.airnow.gov

Take care!

 

[K'Tesh]

Thanks for the well wishes.

Just watched this video...



This is the community that sits between my mom's old house (Ashland, Oregon), and my dad's old house (Phoenix, Oregon). I've bicycled this road a number of times as a kid, and even as part of Cycle Oregon (2009). So many of these people have lost everything they couldn't carry with them. Praying that everyone is safe, and can be made whole.

My mom's house is at last word, Ok (being to the east of the fire that is blowing to the west)... but that video is further away, and to the east.

My uncle's home, and my cousin's home are under level 2 evacuation at last word. My dad is returning to his community with no word on the condition of his home. He's managed to move some of his stuff to his new house, but he only just started the move as the papers were signed only a few weeks ago.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

Looks like it might wipe out Medford. Basically, travelling up I-5.

https://kobi5.com/news/fire-in-ashland-triggers-evacuations-136194/

 

[K'Tesh]

My childhood home is in the center of this Level 3 Evacuation area... The fire seen in the previous post's video is immediately to the SW of this area along S. Pacific Hwy.




Much of my life up until the age of 30 (when not being moved around by the USMC) is in the red areas. My mom's house is in this area, as are my uncle's, aunt's, numerous cousins, and my step-brother's homes are in this area. The family's old ranch is also in this area (currently in yellow)

 

[Hobie1dog]

thanks for the updates, watching it on the evening news is just hard to imagine how much Devastation that it can cause

 

[tsmith1315]

Sorry to hear this, Jim. But it sounds like your family is safe, that's what matters. Your memories are safe, too, and they're the only way to really visit your childhood home.

 

[K'Tesh]

Got some news:

My mom is home, and the fire (South Obenchain) is burning away from her house (I suspect that she's going to be replacing her bark dust front yard with rock very soon). My cousin said that the fire (South Obenchain) is still nearby, but is also going away from him at this time. My step-brother's house is near the new fire (Greenway Mile Marker 24 fire) in Central Point, but he doesn't feel threatened by it. Two of my step-sisters have said that they're ok (one in Talent, the other in Clackamas County). Now it's just to hear from my dad, my uncle, and my cousins.

Mom said she'll try to check in on our old family homes (in the Alameda fire area) in Phoenix/Medford. She would have checked tonight, but the power outages have the gas stations closed, and she's running on empty (she drove down from Portland).

 

[K'Tesh]

Sorry to hear this, Jim. But it sounds like your family is safe, that's what matters. Your memories are safe, too, and they're the only way to really visit your childhood home.

Thanks for the kind words.

The only problem is that my household goods are under mom's house, and my cousin, Chad, is living in our grandparent's old house (the first home I lived in (birth to 6 months old)).

 

[K'Tesh]

My maternal grandparent's homes, and my mom's old home have all survived undamaged. My mom was able to drive by them today, but the part of Phoenix I lived in is blocked by roadblocks.

Very real chance the home I lived in from when we returned from Hawaii until I moved in with mom in Ashland is gone. Some guys are riding around Phoenix and posting videos of it, and they can't even get close to N. Rose st. My great grandparents on my dad's father's side are both buried in the cemetery, I wonder how their graves fared... And the house that they built over a hundred years ago. IINM, at the time she died, my great grandmother was the last graduate of Phoenix High School's first graduating class alive.

The bar (Barkley's Tavern) that had the absolute best broasted chicken and Jojos I've ever eaten, burned down in the fire in Phoenix, Oregon. I made sure that when I went back home in July 2018, that I had their chicken. It was the first time we'd ever eaten there. I had been in it a few times before (picking up orders to go), but that was in the days when people could still smoke in bars, and it was a dark nasty smelling place back then. When we (my sister, my step brother and his wife, and I) ate there it was much brighter, and a nice place. I was looking forward to going back there next time I went home. I hope that they will be able to rebuild it.


The donut shop (Puck's) I loved as a kid (in Ashland), apparently moved out of Ashland to Phoenix (probably to avoid the increasing cost of rents). It's gone now too.

A few days ago (before all this), I drempt that I was back, and looking at places I knew, trying to find out what happened to the grandmother I adopted. Bill and Helen Thomas, lived in the pale green house at the corner of Rose and 1st St. The were (as far as I know) a childless couple who had made their fortune digging for gold in Alaska. I befriended them as I walked to and from Phoenix Elementary School. I'd drop by every so often when I saw them working in their yard. Bill loved to make wood bowls. Helen was a wonderful housewife. I'd often stop for some "Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies", and milk, and play with the kayak model and the whale boat model that were made by some Inuit craftsman out of native materials. I wanted to put them in water and play with my Star Wars figure of Han Solo (the one with the Hoth costume), but I wasn't allowed to. Bill lost his leg to diabetes, and later passed away while I was in the USAF. I stopped by again, when I came home from England. Helen gave me the kayak and the whale boat as a memento of our friendship. While I was either in school in Ashland, or Klamath Falls, Helen moved out because the place was too big for her, and I lost all track of her. I'm sure she passed away a long time ago, but I'd love to know where they are, and visit them. In relaying this story, I looked the house up on Google Street View, and it was still the same shade of pale green that I remember. I wonder if it survived.

 

[emckee]

Jim- Glad to hear your family and their houses are currently OK. Unfortunately, you're far from the only one in the rocketry community impacted here. At least two of our mutual friends are evac'd from their homes with little/no idea when or even whether they'll be able to go home.

The scary thing, to me, is how this is becoming the new normal for the west coast. I lived in San Diego from 1998 - 2008 and was evacuated multiple times in 2003 and 2007 for what were considered "exceptional" wildfires. It's actually one of the reasons I moved out of the state. Now, what was exceptional has become the new norm and we're setting new records (e.g. acres burned in a season) every few years.

Erik

 

[Johnly]

The near edge of the Holiday Farm fire is currently 25 miles to the east of me, which sounds like a long way. However on Monday night we had wind gusts that peaked at 37 mph, allowing the fire to travel 10 miles in a single night. I know of several people who have lost their homes and many more who have been evacuated. Four days of air quality in the "hazardous" range, above 300. It was 469 today and just south in Cottage Grove it measured an even worse 720. Heading to Blackrock on Saturday to get some fresh air.

 

[tsmmiller]

I am over in Camas, so no fire danger for me. Air quality however is lousy. Since Monday night I’ve not been able to see across the street due to smoke.
Several of my coworkers live in the evacuated areas of Clackamas County. One leaving work early this morning when he was notified the fire was approaching his home.
I could see Molalla being evacuated, rural areas of Oregon City as well, but notices are going out for the entire city to evacuate. Gladstone has also been placed on alert.
Growing up in Idaho, extreme fires are not new to me. This year however seems to be beyond even extreme.
I think 2020 need to just go away already!

 

[K'Tesh]

Praying for everyone (and everything) that's being affected by these fires.

My cousin is actively posting image of rescued pets (cats mostly). Many of whom have been singed (or worse). These poor scared and hurt animals are heartbreaking

The videos that I've seen, regrettably for me, all seem to miss focusing on the places I'm mostly interested in, and I've got conflicting messages about my old home. One saying it's gone, the other contradicting this.

For those of you in this... Please take care, listen carefully to evacuation orders, and be safe. If you do have to leave, remember to take your insurance documents with you, as this can speed up the claims process if you do lose property.

God Bless.

 

[K'Tesh]

Jim- Glad to hear your family and their houses are currently OK. Unfortunately, you're far from the only one in the rocketry community impacted here. At least two of our mutual friends are evac'd from their homes with little/no idea when or even whether they'll be able to go home.

The scary thing, to me, is how this is becoming the new normal for the west coast. I lived in San Diego from 1998 - 2008 and was evacuated multiple times in 2003 and 2007 for what were considered "exceptional" wildfires. It's actually one of the reasons I moved out of the state. Now, what was exceptional has become the new norm and we're setting new records (e.g. acres burned in a season) every few years.

Erik

All I can say is... Yeah... I've renamed the thread because of this.

 

[Peartree]

Some of you may remember Charlaine Nordin, who was active on this forum a few years back. She got out safely but no time to even pack a bag. Her home is a total loss.

 

[Johnly]

Here's a 30 minute helicopter fly over of the Almeda fire:

 

[K'Tesh]

Here's a 30 minute helicopter fly over of the Almeda fire:

Sadly for me, the pilot/videographer focuses on the area between the Hwy, and the Freeway, my old home was on the downwind side of the hill, at the its base, in Phoenix.

I've just heard that 10% of the population of Oregon is currently either evacuated, or under some kind of evacuation order.