Category Archives: California

Big Bear Lake, National Forests, Wildfire, Wildlife

Summit Fire burning south of Big Bear Lake

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

A fire now named the Summit Fire is burning in the San Bernardino National Forest near Forest Service Road 2N08 (to the south of the city of Big Bear Lake and west of the Snow Summit ski resort).

The fire appears to have started near Pine Knot Avenue and Knickerbocker Road around 12:30 p.m. Within an hour, the fire had grown to more than 10 acres, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. At last report, it had grown again to between 20 and 25 acres.  It has a moderate rate of spread, and is being fueled by moderate to heavy forest growth.

There are mandatory evacuations for the area from Knickerbocker Road east to Georgia Road and south of Pennsylvania Road to the forest boundary.

08/24/15 Update (from InciWeb):

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Interesting Places

Secret Cabin Found in Arcata Community Forest Park

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Arcata Community Forest Environmental Services Director Mark Andre has discovered a hidden cabin deep in a remote section of the forest. Not just some tear-down thing thrown together with locally-sourced refuse and detritus, but a real cabin made with a frame built on a concrete block foundation with a real roof and even a porch with a wooden awning.  Windows, a locked entry, and a tidy interior – complete with bed, kitchen and even a library make up the 8 x 12 building.  It’s covered outside with tarps, black lasting sheeting, and “concealing forest duff” do make the cabin difficult to see if you’re more than a few feet away from it.

All of the materials and furniture had to be carried to the site.  It’s a work made to last for awhile.

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Big Bear Lake, Wildlife

Mill 2 fire update

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

InciWeb is reporting that the Mill 2 fire is burning off the 38 near Bryant street off Highway 38.  They’re also reporting that a drone was flying in the area, which caused the tankers to abort their mission(s). Keep your damned drones away from the fires, idiots!

From Inciweb:

The Mill 2 Fire started in Mill Creek Canyon near State Highway 38 and Bryant Street at about 2:30 pm, east of Mentone, and north of Yucaipa.

It is reported to be approximately 35 acres in size. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Four homes are evacuated on the lower or west end of Yucaipa Ridge.

State Highway 38 is closed between Bryant Street and Lake Williams.
The fire is being managed in unified command US Forest Service and CALFIRE.

Resources responding include: 17 engines, 7 crews, 2 dozers, 5 helicopters, 2 fixed wing air tankers, air attack, DC-10 (VLAT) on order.

An Unmanned Aircraft System (drone) temporarily halted tanker operations, but operations soon resumed.

You can get the latest information on the fire HERE.

News, Wildfire

Yosemite Fire Restrictions

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

From the National Park Service:

Yosemite National Park is experiencing very high fire danger along with continued hot and dry weather patterns. Due to current and predicted fire conditions and possible active fire behavior, the park implemented Stage 1 Fire Restrictions until further notice.

By order of the Superintendent Yosemite National Park and under authority of Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, and Section 2.13(c):

  • No building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or cooking fire (including charcoal fires) within Yosemite National Park including designated Wilderness and at High Sierra Camps below 6,000 feet in elevation. Portable stoves using pressurized gas, liquid fuel, or propane are permitted as are alcohol stoves (with and without a shutoff valve) including alcohol tablet/cube stoves. “Sierra” (twig) stoves are not permitted.
  • No smoking below 6,000 feet, except within an enclosed vehicle, a building in which smoking is allowed, a campground or picnic area where wood and charcoal fires are allowed or in a designated smoking area.
  • Campfires and cooking fires may still be used in designated campgrounds in developed portions of the park in accordance with park regulations.
  • Designated Campgrounds: Upper Pines, North Pines, Lower Pines, Camp 4, Wawona, Bridalveil Creek, Hogdon Meadow, Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat and Tuolumne Meadows, Yellow Pine, and Housekeeping cabins.
  • Cooking fires may still be used in designated picnic areas in developed portions of the park in accordance with park regulations.
  • Designated Picnic areas: Lembert Dome, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite Creek, Wawona, Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, Cascade, El Capitan, Cathedral Beach, Sentinel Beach, Swinging Bridge, Church Bowl and Lower Yosemite Falls.
  • There are no administrative exemptions to this order.

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Adventures, National Parks, News

Google’s Vertical Street View of El Capitan

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Google, not satisfied with street views that occasionally show very interesting images, has now set their sights on the skies above places like Yosemite National Park. Specifically, El Capitan.

From Google’s Official Blog:

Today we’re launching our first-ever vertical Street View collection, giving you the opportunity to climb 3,000 feet up the world’s most famous rock wall: Yosemite’s El Capitan. To bring you this new imagery, we partnered with legendary climbers Lynn Hill, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell. Read more about the project from Tommy Caldwell, who completed the world’s hardest climb in Yosemite in January of 2015.

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