Last week was a zoo: Dr. D’s arrival, lightning storms, and fires (all happening simultaneously)

[DemoTex]

First, let me say that Dr. D.’s visit was a phenomenal success (I’ll describe the zoo later). She loved the lookout tower and the wilderness. She lounged and watched me work (quite the role reversal). She read three books (on her Kindle) in three days. She trooped up and down the lookout’s 60 steps, hauled water up those stairs, used the outhouse, used the camp toilet on the lookout catwalk at night, and took the first naked solar shower on the lookout catwalk of the 2009 fire season. We ate MREs .. she did not complain. Steaks .. she raved. Vietnamese/Thai stir fry .. my best ever she said. She hiked the butte with Nick every morning while I got the lookout readied for the day. She slept like a log in the REI sleeping bag I bought for her in Bend.

Then we went into Bend early Monday morning. She absolutely loved Bend. We decided that Bend is the Asheville of the Pacific Northwest. Or maybe Ashville is the Bend of the Southeast (you decide). We ate Thai food at Toomies and Salmon Provencale at High Tide. We lunched at Allyson’s Kitchen and pigged out at the Original Pancake House for breakfast yesterday. We walked Nick for two hours on the cinder trail along the Deschutes. She left for Portland and points east at 6 am today. I came back to the wilderness for another week in the lookout tower.
Now for the zoo part: Dr. D. arrived in Bend last Thursday after driving from Portland. She was to call me from Bend and we were to rendezvous at the intersection of the USFS 25 and 18 roads in the Deschutes National Forest at 6:30 pm (I usually get off at 6 pm), from where I would lead her in the maze of USFS roads and spurs to the lookout.

When the lightning started popping around 3:30 pm I knew the plan was in danger. When I spotted a fire smoke just north of Flat Top at 4:20, putting the whole fire battalion on lightning code (which automatically put me on duty until dark), I knew the rendezvous was probably not going to happen. About that time she started calling me as she got into the north part of Bend. Lightning was popping directly over the lookout! Since my cell phone only works in one corner of the catwalk, and since my fire battalion commander had said I could use the USFS bag phone in the lookout anytime for emergencies or disrupted communications, I switched to it. I told Dr. D. to plan on staying in Bend and coming out early Friday morning.

About that time my boss called. Since he was staging fire engines all over the China Hat/Pine Mountain area pre-guessing the lightning, he decided to stage a prevention unit (small fire engine – Ford F-450) at the US-20/FS-25 intersection to wait for, and then lead Dr. D. up to the lookout (almost 20 miles!). At 7:30 pm Dr. D. pulls in behind my good bud in his USFS fire wagon. That was the night we ate the MREs. I had to watch the fire crews on the Flat Top fire until 10 pm.

Friday was a fine day until mid-afternoon. Then a granddaddy thunderstorm moved over us (we both got in our lightning chairs (another essay coming on lightning chairs)). It then tracked northeast over Pine Mountain (where the U of O has an observatory). The storm clobbered Pine Mountain.

Two hours later Recon-1, a USFS Cessna 185, called in at my disposal. I had a visual on the aircraft so I sent her to check out the backside of China Hat (where I had seen many down-strikes). Before I could say to recon Pine Mountain next, I looked in that direction and up popped a smoke! It was ¼ mile from the observatory. I directed the USFS to the smoke. She saw it immediately. We had a fire crew there in less than 20 minutes. Saved one observatory. Dr. D. watched this all.

PICS will not load. Verizon broadband too slow tonight.

Thanks to EarlG for allowing these dispatches in this forum.

[madrchsod]

1. you have a one of the best jobs i can think of..

great scenery,solitude,performing a public good,and being able to have a dog with you. add to that your wife gets to join you. can`t wait for the pictures....:thumbsup:

[elleng]

2. What great and exciting stories you tell!

:bounce:

[Catshrink]

3. Wow!

Dr. D sure did see you work! Glad you're safe and that you had a good visit. I'm sure Nick was happy to see his mom, too.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. Thanks for checking in. Looking forward to more pics.

and thanks EarlG.

[TahitiNut]

5. Does Nick have his own lightning chair? Or does he share with y'all?

:dunce: :hi:

[DemoTex]

14. The lightning protection engineers were here last Friday morning ..

These guys (consultants) spent seven hours going over every aspect of this lookout tower's lightning protection system (and other safety-related items, like the propane system). I asked the head engineer whether or not the lightning chair works.

"Does it make you feel better during a storm?", he asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"Then it works," he replied.

He went on to say that if plasma ever gets in the lookout tower (60-80k volts), then all the lightning chairs in the world won't help. But he did say that he had never heard of a lookout getting injured by lightning inside the tower. That was exactly what my research last winter revealed.

The lightning engineer did explain to me the difference between lightning "shedding" and the lightning protection system. Lightning shedding is the runoff of electrical charge if the tower gets a strike (the Faraday Cage). The tower is protected from ever getting a strike by a system that draws positive charges from earth (ground) giving the tower a net positive charge (or aura) which, anthropomorphically speaking, lightning is not interested in.

It was too bad the consultants left when they did. If they had stuck around an hour or so they could have seen some lightning up close and personal.

But to answer your question, Nick stays on the bed - usually. The bed itself is electrically isolated like the lightning chairs.

Looks like Nick and I will get to practice a little lightning avoidance this afternoon. The Newberry Rim (7 miles WNW) is already taking strikes.


The lightning chair

[Tan Gent]

16. HAHA...that's hilarious. Someone made a really clever gag there, 'lightning chair'

:D

Maybe glue a couple of those to your shoes...to be really safe. :rofl:

[DemoTex]

17. I agree. I call it "The Pacifier."

I mock the lightning chair, too. But it's funny that when that first close strike comes I find myself easing into The Pacifier. Rational? No. A balm for lightning jangled nerves. Somewhat. Like the man says, you gotta sit somewhere.

Welcome to DU, Tan Gent.

[Suich]

6. Geez...I was holding my breath reading that!

Glad everything worked out fine...what an exciting intro for Dr. D.! Nice work catching the fire by the observatory!

I don't mind thunder and lightning; I just don't want to be as close to it as you are!



:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Good for you, and by the by, I do love my IPOD for readying too

I use it for quite a bit of books. These days I ONLY buy paper if there is no electronic equivalent

[merh]

8. Wow, sounds like you and Dr. D had a great visit - she got to see

you do your work and she got to enjoy the adventures with you.

I can't wait for the lightning chair essay.

Stay safe and thank you for doing what you do. :hi: :pals:


Thank you EarlG for allowing these postings.

[ColbertWatcher]

9. I love these updates. Thank you! k+r, n/t

[Trocadero]

10. I love Bend too

For another good place to eat, go just south of Bend to SunRiver and eat at the main lodge. I think the bar is better than the restaurant. I recommend the nachos.

Also, if you have time stop at the High Desert Museum, between Bend and SunRiver. Rustic. My other favorite place near Bend is Thunder Eggs - north of Bend. They have all manner of geodes, thundereggs and pretty rocks and fossils from the ground in Oregon.


-------------------

According to legend, Thundereggs were so named by Native Americans of Central Oregon. The natives of this region are said to have believed these strage, agate-filled stones were missiles thrown by angry, fighting "Thunder Spirits" or "Gods" who dwelt on Mount Jefferson and nearby Mount Hood, two of the several snow-capped peaks high in the Cascade Range. The Native Americans thought when thunderstorms occurred these rival, jealous gods hurled large numbers of the round-shaped rocks at each other in furious anger. Thus, according to Native American legend, Thundereggs were scattered over the high plateaus of Central Oregon.

http://richardsonrockranch.com/story.html

[depakid]

11. Had a feeling it might have been a bit of a wild week

[enigmatic]

12. DemoTex, I just want to tell you how much I've enjoyed your posts on the lookout tower

I look forward to them and love the pictures. Thank you!

[hootinholler]

13. So if she brought all that with her...

You gonna ask her back? :rofl:

Nice demo for her though, she won't think you're laying around in a hammock all dad-blanged day.

-Hoot

[blm]

15. Great to hear from you.

.

[saigon68]

18. I envy you

What a beautiful place to spend the summer.