Paradise Reflections

 After galivanting around the Oroville Dam, We headed back into "Gold Town" and bought some local produce at a Saturday Farmers' Market, then we had lunch at a very nice cafe that had this perfectly restored classic Streamline Duke trailer. There are also a lot of really nice antique cars around here since they don't need to salt the roads in the winter, and there isn't much rain, so no rust! Paradise and Surroundings After lunch, we headed out to see three of the MDS project houses.  They were all in the area of Concow, which was one of the first communities hit by the fire just an hour or so after it started. Concow is not really a town, but more of a census designation.  There were many large houses located in extremely scenic locations, as well as small off-grid houses located where the owners could find a spot.  The fire did not discriminate.  The rapidly spreading fire engulfed the area in a rather spotty manner.  Wind-whipped embers started numerous ...

 This post will be put up as I have time to write, so keep checking back for updates.  It was a very busy day! Saturday is a day during which the long-term volunteers and staffers try to do exploring, recreation, and other unstructured activities.  Four of us got permission to use one of the trucks to go visit some of the MDS project sites and other places on the way.  Our first destination was Oroville, which is about 20 miles away.  We used the easternmost road heading down from the Paradise plateau to the valley below.  Along the way, we skirted an arm of the reservoir behind the Oroville Dam.  This is the dam that back in 2017 overtopped, and nearly had the spillway destroyed by the historic rain and snowmelt that February.  As you can see from these pictures, they are having the opposite problem at this time. A view down the canyon, showing the low water level This should be full of water Another shot showing the low water level Lots of house...

Paradise is located on a gently sloping plateau that rises out of the Sacramento Valley. It is surrounded to the east and west by steep canyons eroded from the plateau. After dinner our first night we drove a couple miles down Skyway to the overlook facing the canyon to the west. Smoke from the Dixie Fire kept the visibility low, but the view was amazing anyway. Can anyone identify this rock from its shape?  It was not carved; it formed into that hexagonal shape.  This rock is what caps the plateau.  Some of my Earth Science students might be able to identify it. We also saw some of the vehicles destroyed by the fire.  Headlight glass bulged due to the heat.

 I left Richmond early Thursday 8/26, flying to Dallas, then on to Sacramento.  The flights were mostly fine, but there seemed to be a lot of passengers  coughing and sneezing.  Masking was fortunately well-enforced by the flight attendants.  In the airports, though, there were many unmasked individuals seemingly daring anyone to say anything to them. As we flew over South Lake Tahoe, smoke from the Dixie Fire as well as several smaller blazes obscured the ground completely.  I got several shots of the smoke plume over the biggest fire. On arrival in Sacramento, I met up with three other long-term volunteers, and we were picked up by Steve Wiest, the MDS representative who is helping coordinate the projects in Paradise.  He is from the Fresno area, and gave us a lot of great background information about this part of California, about the local agriculture, and lots of other cool things. We arrived at the MDS headquarters at around 4, and met the Projec...

 I am embarking on a three-week service project with Mennonite Disaster Service in Paradise, California.  I will be serving as Head Cook for the other volunteers from around the country as they work to help rebuild the community after a devastating fire on November 8, 2018.  The Camp Fire still ranks as the most deadly fire in California history, and one of the most damaging to property.   Mennonite Disaster Service will be building several houses for those displaced by the fire in Paradise and several smaller communities.  Volunteers will arrive every week to contribute their labor to the projects. My job will be to make sure they are well-fed, and want to do another MDS project in the future because the food is so good!  (This is a real thing!) Mennonite Disaster Service Project Information Sheet