8/21/2021. That Damn Cat

Setting:  Columbia Sun Rv Resort.  In the High Desert of Kennewick Washington

Culprit:  Bob the Faux Bobcat

Timeframe:  Two Day Stay

Day 1:  Sandy and I are eating lunch inside the COW when I noticed a Gray Striped, Semi-Large Cat type animal with a stubby tail roaming around the campground.  I told Sandy that looks like a “Bobcat”.  She of course told me I was crazy.  It must be someone’s pet cat 

Day 2:  We are packing up to drive 4 hours from Kennewick Washington to Portland Oregon.  I am outside disconnecting the COW’s electrical power and hoses.  I am also multi-tasking getting the Toad (car) ready to be towed.  I have the COW’s basement water and electrical bays doors open.

Scene 1:  As I come around the back corner of the COW I notice “Shifty”, I mean Bob the faux bobcat nosing around the open door of the Water bay.  As I increase my pace moving towards the water bay, while giving Bob the faux Bobcat unquestionable direction by swinging my arm and announcing “Get Lost”.  What’s that damn cat do, he looks at me, flips me off, and jumps right into the basement (underneath storage) of the COW.  CRAP-CRAP-CRAP.  I try to shoo him out and sure enough that damn cat moves further underneath so I have no chance of dragging him out.  Not only does he move further underneath he is now up into the plumbing raceway.  I couldn’t believe it.  Now he has gone from Bob the faux Bobcat to “Damn Bob the stowaway faux Bobcat”.

Scene 2:  After a few choice words to myself, I decided the best course of action was to walk-away and hopefully “Bob, the Damn curious faux Bobcat” would exit on his own.  Sure enough after a couple minutes he meanders out giving me a look like “Hey Buddy, Far Out,  never seen a basement like that before, Peace Out”. :-)

I think we should rename Bob, the Damn Faux Bobcat to “Lucky” as he was a couple minutes from becoming a new resident of Portland, Oregon.  He is lucky that I saw him climb in or he would have definitely been one unhappy cat after riding uncomfortably in the dark Basement of the COW for the 4 hour ride from Kennewick WA to Portland OR.

Here is a picture of “Bob the Damn Faux Bobcat” otherwise now known as “Lucky”

8/7/2021 The Fire is 100% contained.

The fire is now 100% contained.  It burned 359 acres.  The smoke initially affected the surrounding area, but 2 weeks later the smoke from this and other fires is now blanketing a lot of the United States.  

The smoke from the wild fire which was 19 miles North of us blanketed our campground and the surrounding hills for the past 1 1/2 weeks.

The following pictures are a comparison of the hills surrounding the campground covered in smoke vs the same hills once the smoke lifted.   This smoke surrounded our COW. Luckily Sandy had purchased a small smoke eater machine for inside the coach which kept our air clean.  We considered moving to a campground further away, but the smoke covered most of the states of Idaho and Washington.   So the best course of action was just to wait it out.  We were never in danger of the fire as it was burning to the North and we were South.  

8/1/2021. It all started with a little smoke up on the mountain.

On 7/29, while touring around in our Toad, Sandy and I spotted some smoke just North of the city of Priest River, Idaho.  Priest River is 19 miles North of our campground. Turns out it started only 45 minutes before we noticed it.  The fire response team already had 3 single engine, Double pilot, Fire Boss float planes that pickup up to 800 gallons of water via scoops in their floats by dipping the floats into the local river, filling up, then fly single file up to the fire, drop their water, then repeat the process.  They are amazing to watch.  It looked to me that they would soon have it under control.  

The fire has been named the “Pioneer Fire”.  

Three days later (today 8/1), the fire has burned 359 Acres.  Our campground is socked in with smoke.  (Thank goodness Sandy had purchased a small smoke eating machine for the COW in anticipation of Western Wild Fires that has done a good job of keeping the inside of the COW smoke free.)  

This fire as well as many other current wild fires have spewed smoke into the air through most of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Minnesota, and Wyoming.

The good news is that we just heard that the Pioneer fire is 50% controlled as of 5:00 PM today 8/1.

Attached is a picture of the initial start of the fire:

Attached are pictures of the smoke currently surrounding our campground.  The surrounding hills are covered in smoke.  Normally we would be able to clearly see the surrounding hills.