Fire Season
This term takes on an entirely new meaning to many parts of California these past couple of summers. The series of fires in Nor Cal, Carr Fire, Hirtz Fire, Delta Fire, have destroyed, and disrupted lifestyles in this area. The latest mess has been right here where I live near Lake Shasta.The plume of smoke in the opening picture shows onset of the Delta Fire threatening lives and property near the base of Mt Shasta normally seen to the right hand side in this shot angle. This newest fire outbreak, Delta Fire, has closed I-5 in both directions for a week, thus disrupting commercial flow to the entire west coast.
Towns Destroyed
This devastation happened in only minutes!Just a few miles west of where I my home is was the little town of Keswick nestled into a small valley, and hillside covered with poison oak, manzanita, oaks, and pines. The darn wind driven Carr Fire rushed over a hill and destroyed the whole community as folks were packing up their necessary things for evacuation that Friday evening. There were three fatalities, a great grandmother and two children tragically lost before anyone could help them.
The Carr Power House is at the northwestern end of the once beautiful Whiskeytown Lake
and Recreation Area was pretty much at ground zero, and it shows. The hills on the northern side of the lake near Oak Bottom campground, and launch area look like so many matchsticks stuck into the ground for as far a can be seen. Everything is just toasted. The boats and docks once hidden from the highway by a lush forest are now open to be seen due to the removal of said lush forest.
Whiskeytown Lake is still beautiful with its crystal clear blue waters, and the mostly green surrounding mountains. This recreation area has been closed to the public since the onset of the Carr Fire, but was re-opened for “limited use” over the Labor Day weekend. This little reservoir features
Kokannee Salmon making their yearly spawning migration at exactly this time of the season, and a friend caught this nice male during the Labor Day weekend past.
Readers like you come to my blog mostly for information about fishing here in the wonderland that is northern California, and it saddens me to spend time telling you about the woes of our fire season. I do have another article that delves into how the fishing has been, and is currently coming in the next few days. I have been doing serious research for you! So look for it shortly, and have the best of time Ketchinnee.
Mr Hook