San Diego Oct 26th

From inside this city, it looks like a ring of running fires occasionally
flaring into a slithering line of impossibly bright orange. The fires block
drivers nearly everywhere and for the first time in years, the San Diego sky is
almost completely empty of aircraft. I have seen a few helos working hard --
unfortunately, it was the local life flight folks. The sky was the most
bizarre I have ever seen. A general pall surrounds great swaths of our county,
swelling eyes and subtle, drifting ash are everywhere. Any attempt to drive is
difficult due to the blowing ash and reduced visibility. I was up at the edge
of Miramar for most of the day with a few shell-shocked friends that wandered
just what was important and what value time had when a dancing chorusline of
fire comes over the horizon. A lady that I've known twenty years came out into
the smoke with a painting, a Chagal and that was the one thing out of her
entire house that she wanted to have saved. "Cool - its one of Marc's." We
watched the fire approach and the wind turn ugly, shuttling trucks and moms and
kids with all the things they felt irreplaceable, all under a thick blanket of
smoke. The virgin scrub that stretched for miles at Miramar butted against a
cul de sac that had no defense whatever against the beast rampaging down the
street. We saw the smoke increase and the people on roofs watering furiously
all came down - time to go. Evacuations were within three miles, with the
surface streets curiously empty, fast food restaurants doing brisk business,
and highways all closed down entirely. The hot afternoon air suddenly kicked
around as the onshore flow arrived. The temp fell a few degrees and the smoke
abuptly changed direction, taking its fire with it as it bypassed our friend's
neighborhood.

We'd like the firefighters and the water bomber crews to know that we
appreciate what they are doing and that we want them to all finish their task
safely.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR Aircrew

"Got anything on your radar, SENSO?"
"Nothing but my forehead, sir."