genejockey 

This morning the whole Bay Area is uniformly 150-170. Nowhere to go that isn't as bad as everywhere else. In fact the whole swath of Western states have bad air from British Columbia to Baja California. I bet Zwift is getting a lot of new subscribers.

downtube42

Not riding today. This morning was the worst so far, here 10 miles east of Portland. I think it was a combination of smoke and fog, but I couldn't see a quarter mile when I got up. AQI is around 300. Under 5 miles south of me is level 1 evac, just a couple more is level 2, and level 3 (get out!) not much further. The 200k route I rode last Saturday is largely level 3, and I'm afraid of what Escatada to Ripplebrook looks like.

Just read a story of a family that lost their young son and his grandmother. I'm just dealing with smoke.

bmcer

AQI in Grants Pass, OR has been > 500 for going on 3 days now, 596 this morning. No way I'm gonna ride in air that smells like a burnt sofa under a sky the color of mustard. So far, we're out of harm's way, but there are Level 3 evac orders in effect for communities not 10 miles away.

jamesdak 

I actually have deleted that because I know it's way too emotional for most to handle. But If I die today I'm fine with it. If I had died as a soldier over my career then fine. At some point we will have to address our population problems as ugly as it is for most to think about.

Oh and I'm still working everyday because I've no one depending on me and would rather catch and risk whatever them all the others I work with still raising their families.

Live life to the fullest each day so that when death comes you haven't wasted a minute. No big deal!

jamesdak 

Dumb in your opinion which is fine overpopulation is a big time contributor and needs to be discussed. I say that living in the middle of Mormon country surrounded by families of 6 to 10 kids, LOL!

Anyway, back to tearing down the ol' Miyata 312....

Tomm Willians

The AQI as of this moment in my old hometown located in Lassen County is over 600 😳😳😳
I now live near Auburn where it’s better but not good enough that I’m going riding.


ahh... good news, it improved 🤣

SVTNate

AQI is 110-ish here. Wind is bringing smoke from fires in Northern California (primarily, plus other fires much closer to us) but I can't really see or smell it beyond a haze in the air. The sun and sky aren't bright orange like they were a few days ago.

I rode 42 miles today, towards the coast, where the air only gets better.

I have a mild headache, not sure if that's lack of caffeine, or smoke, or the fact that I only took in 230-ish calories during a 2+ hour ride.

Wileyrat

I plan to ride my mtn bike tomorrow.

Today the smoke from the Cali fires made it look cloudy all day, even though the radar shows it to be cloudless today. It's not as bad as it was a couple of months ago when the mountains here were on fire, and it's not eleventy hundred degrees anymore, so I guess it's time to go play.

royphotog

I am going to Lowes to see if I can get a respirator mask. Not so good for COVID because it lets out my breath, but for bike riding and work outside it would help with the smoke. It's yellow haze or the Central Valley of California today, air quality index is 161 last time I checked.

genejockey 

AQI all over the Bay Area right now is in the 90-160 range, where the guidance is that it's likely to only affect sensitive groups. Which really puts it on the individual - it's not so bad that you will definitely be impacted, and not so good that you absolutely won't. After - what, 3 weeks? - of this, I'm finding myself more willing to venture out when it's in that range. I will probably not be going for PRs on long climbs today, though, if I do ride outside.

The other thing is, 3 weeks ago, with the current amount of smoke in the air, everyone would be smelling it. Now? How many of us can still smell smoke AT ALL?

2old

150 in socal; my wife and I rode for a couple of hours or so with no apparent ill affects. We rode Wednesday late PM when the reported value was 53 and it seemed much worse, so we aborted the ride at the half-way point.

bmcer

The AQI here in the Rogue Valley is much better today. Down to ~300. Yeah, that's right, 300. Yesterday it was 590+. So... still not riding or doing much of anything outdoors. At this point, even riding the trainer indoors probably isn't a great idea.

CAT7RDR

No ride today but did a local moderate 10K hike in the Puente Hills with AQI of 231 and smokey. No breathing issues but did develop a mild headache immediately after finishing. I Imagine a longer outdoor exposure would have developed a severe headache.

fooferdoggie 

nasty air all weekend no riding. visibility is down to 1/2 a block or so.

frogman

Here in Napa County the smoke filled air is so bad you need to wear a mask to protect yourself from the smoke. I rode 12 miles today with a N95 mask on and called it quits. The N95 mask helps a lot but it still hampers your breathing. The medical hospital masks most everyone is wearing for the pandemic are useless for the smoke. There is a dense orange haze everywere from the smoke. It even blocks the sun. arrrgggghhhh..........

fooferdoggie 

you really need a respirator but that would be a nightmare to ride in.

royphotog

My wife and I picked up a couple of RZ Masks, with an interchangeable charcoal filter and exit valve. Took a ride this evening with the air quality at about 175, and worked well. I found it was a little harder to breathe with it on so I road a little slower. But it seemed to work and allowed me to ride where I would not have w/o it or with a cloth mask.

NoWhammies

Nope. The air quality advisory is suggesting people stay inside and avoid strenuous activity. Why risk it?

trainchaser

Here in Victoria BC, on Vancouver Island, we're in the thick of it, visibility is maybe half a mile at the most, acrid smell to the air, sea planes and helicopters are all grounded. Didn't want to ride over the weekend but I will have to see what it's like in the morning as I bike to work, not a long commute, maybe 20 minutes, we'll see...

bargo68 

NOPE!

2old

140 in my area of socal which is about the same as yesterday. Probably eschew a ride today even though yesterday's adventure only resulted in a very slight headache. Probably an outing tomorrow if the numbers don't get any higher.

Chinghis

I dunno, I'm jonesin' for a ride on my new vintage craft. People think we're crazy for riding in LA pollution anyway. I brought clothes in for a couple of days, so I think I'm going to give it a shot once or twice this week.

samed

In Santa Monica, AQI currently 152.
My wife, who's an RN is very against. Happy wife, happy life.
Waiting for it to dip below 100. Winds out of the West for the next few days, so clean ocean air is arriving soon. Fingers crossed.

Korina

I'm at work(!) in Eureka, where the AQI is up to 102, but 7 miles north in Arcata it's 158?!?! I think the marine layer's helping to keep the numbers down; for the first week or two it topped out at 289. I'm chicken; no riding for me, although my legs are crying to go. Some walking, yes, riding, no.

stephr1

I've chosen not to ride at all. The other day I was out early morning and thought it was snowing....fluffy stuff falling, but it was gray Until the local fires (Napa, Santa Cruz Mts. and East San Jose) are pretty much under control, I'm saving my lungs for a better day.

Having said that, things are starting to look better today, so I'll give it till next Mon and see if I can't start getting back into rhythm again.

An interesting side note on this...I had been considering a backpack trip into the Sierras over Labor Day weekend, specifically, Dinkey Lakes Wilderness. Had I gone, I would have been in deep trouble. If you want to know why, look for the Creek Fire and Bullfrog fire. Dinkey Lakes Wilderness is pretty much between them....abt 2 miles from the Bullfrog fire and less than 5 miles from the Creek Fire. Glad the trip never happened. Yikes!!!