San Diego Fires

[Guest ratchethack]

I am just happy you are OK.

Steve

Thanks, Steve. We're still a long way from being done with this. The scale is unprecedented in California history. It's at least an order of magnitude larger in scale than the Cedar Fire 4 years ago, well past the scale of Katrina, and it's still taking a serious toll today.

 

The areas first evacuated and not burned started re-populating for the most part yesterday, including where I live. After the last embers are extinguished, it's going to be a long, hard slog back to life as we once knew it for something like a half million people.

 

Here's a shot of what I'm 100% convinced saved my community and my home late Tuesday, within a few miles of me:

[felix42o]

Damn. I just finished writing this and then promptly deleted it.

Oh well.

 

I just returned from the San Diego area, where one of our Hueys and a crew of four were sent down to assist CDF in the Helitac firefighting efforts. We were assigned primarily to the Camp Pendleton/Fallbrook area, and all I can say is that I wish we had a bigger bucket. The devastation of these firestorms can't be captured on the news. My condolences to all those who lost property or worse, loved ones. However I am happy that the number of injuries was as low as it was, considering.

The power of these fires is incredible. We would work an area, get it under control, then watch as an ember the size of a milk jug would carry over 1/2 mile in the winds and light the hill right back up again. The air was finally starting to clear up a bit by Saturday, and they released us to return to Fallon Sunday morning. I did, on a lighter note, find time to get over to GP Cycles in San Diego and finally lay eyes on some new Guzzis. In short, the Norge is beautiful, and the Breva 1200 Sport is, well, still a Breva to me. The new Ducatis and MV's weren't bad, either.

Again, I am glad to see that it looks like everyone here is okay. It looks like I'll be moving down to San Diego next summer,

so Tenni #126 will be looking for new riding partners.

[dlaing]

It will be good to have another goose in San Diego!

You'll have to go on a Sonny Angel ride sometime. In addition to all us Guzzi riders, you might hit it off with Sonny Angel's son in law, who jumps out of Rescue helicopters. I recall he is Navy, but I might have that wrong. Still a nice guy for a Yamaha rider, and to you maybe a brother other than a Guzzi brother. Guzzis seem to attract more Navy than Marines around here, maybe that is just GP and Sonny's proximity to the Navy Stations.

Thanks for being part of the effort that saved many dollars, homes and probably a few lives, too.

[Guest ratchethack]

Let me first thank you most earnestly, Felix, for your service, and that of your crew. Your efforts no doubt saved the homes of my good friend and business associate and his wife in San Clemente, as well as friends in Fallbrook.

 

As you noted, the devastation is beyond words to describe, and beyond the ability of TV news coverage to capture in video. 1700 homes and some 250 businesses gone.

 

On the positive side, this county has already bounced back with a vengeance. Many lots have been scraped and new construction has started. On Sunday, The San Diego Chargers played (and won) at Qualcomm Stadium, a site that 2 days earlier had been the largest evacuation site in the state, with some 12,000+ temporarily living there. The rapid transformation from a scene of emergency services for victims of the State's largest disaster in history into a scene of sporting victory was uplifting, as well as symbolic of how quickly we're already getting back to normal. Again, words fail to describe the scale. . .

 

Since you'll be moving here next summer, despite the fact that we're in the wake of this disaster now, by then it will be largely a memory. May I suggest you might look forward to a more positive climate, as well as a certain culture shock relative to the "Way Outback" of Fallon, NV. I used to travel there semi-regularly on business many moons ago. . .

 

On another unrelated topic, I think you'll find over time that the guys at GP Moto are First Rate.

[RacerX]

Tenni #126, thanks to you and all those like you in combating the SoCal fires. I moved way from N San D. not too long after the '03 fires, and now live in Santa Monica. While no where near the scale of the SD fires, the Malibu fires caused evacuations of many good friends, and a fortunately only a small handful lost homes/property. Amazing during, and afterwards to see. The adrenaline junky side of me wanted to jump in to help.

 

Let me be the first to officially send you a big welcome to SoCal Guzzi. Since no one here has yet mentioned... the MGNOC SoCal Chapter; SoCal-Guzzi.com has had a very solid group the last few years. Come out and enjoy the ride with us once you are settled. Look forward to riding with you once you "land" down this way again.

[dlaing]

The LA Guzzi riders are great at coming down to San Diego many times in a year, but we San Diegans are mostly a bunch of tender rumped 200 mile day riders. While that is fine, I will certainly encourage Felix to also ride up North with RacerX and crew. No finer bunch. Just yesterday I had a great 360 mile day riding up to Hansen Dam and seeing RacerX's sweet new ride amongst a plethora of fine British bikes. I did not get to ride with Todd and Company, but I heard him blaze by the little tijunga lookout. VERY nice sounding mufflers!

Here is a thread with pics from the event

http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/viewtopic.php...mp;highlight=SS

They are pretty fast riders but are always hospitable enough to wait for a slow poke like me at the crossroads.

For list of SoCal rides and events

http://www.socal-guzzi.com/Events.html

For details and discussion

http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/

[felix42o]

Sounds good. It'll be nice not having to cross 70 miles of desert to get to good riding roads/weather for a change. Again, glad to hear everyone is okay down there.