stardognine

I'm getting a good taste lately, of what living in Arizona really means. Being a high risk area for wild fires, they sometimes start fires on purpose, to make the bigger picture more manageable, when the fires are not planned. Hence the thread title, "prescribed".
The last couple days, we had smoke in the air in the morning, now tonight, right around dusk, they're doing another. The smoke gets a little thick, and smells pretty bad, but sometimes you have to look at that bigger picture. I guess it beats the heck out of a serious wild fire, that's out of control. 😲😉
I'm really not complaining, just commenting, because it's a new experience for me. Anyone else?

andrewclaus

After over a century of fire suppression in the West, we're paying a price now. Management techniques are starting to change.

Have you visited the memorial for the crew that died there in 2013?

I was a volunteer wildland firefighter in Evergreen CO for ten years at the beginning of this drought cycle. I'm well acquainted with a drip torch.

GrainBrain

They do it every spring here in ditches and prairie areas.

stardognine

I haven't visited the memorial yet, no. Actually, I just read about it recently. I'm from PA, and if I heard about it there, it didn't really register in my brain properly. I did see the current crew of "Hotshots" just a few days ago, training in Granite Creek Park. That puts things in perspective a lot better.

andrewclaus

I forgot to mention I lived in Prescott, from 2010 to 2013. I left a few days before the disastrous fire that affected the town deeply.

Enjoy your time there. It's a pretty special place. I used to enjoy the bike trip over Mingus to Jerome and back. The almost-century loop out to I-17 to Cottonwood and back over Mingus is a great ride. I tried to ride the Skull Valley loop at least once a month, sometimes every week in good weather. If you don't mind a bit of dirt and gravel, ride the Walker Rd/Senator Hwy loop.

TimothyH

The National Forest Service in Georgia has email alerts for prescribed burns. I get them regularly.

It looks like the Prescott National Forest has a page for prescribed burns but the links on the page appear to be out of date.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/presc...fswdev3_009865


-Tim-

alan s 

A burn got out of control at a campground in Florida where I was staying. Prior to my visit. You can see the tree in the background was pretty scorched.

stardognine

Yeah, I noticed that too (the out of datedness), when I first started reading up. You'd kinda think they'd keep that up better. 🤔
The Prescott National Forest is pretty huge, which makes it tricky to watch it all, I guess. 😉
I'm "probably" going to pass some of it again this coming week, depending on a few things.

TimothyH

You could call the ranger stations just to be sure. Here in Georgia they are pretty helpful.

there also appears to be some activity on the linked Facebook page.

good luck on the trip.

stardognine

I think I fixed it, lol. I just had to go out to this sign, & ask Mother Nature to stop burning things. 😁😉 Second pic was her answer, a cactus with flowers blooming. I didn't see another like it until I rode another 8 miles, and the second was much smaller.

stardognine

Another sign further North, for the Shishkabob (Kaibob) National Forest. 😉 There's a small lake on the other side of that sign, and quite possibly a river (?). On the other side of the road, we can see a railroad trestle, and something else. I'm guessing it's main purpose is catching trees & driftwood, during the rainy season. 🤔
A few miles further, I found a section of forest, where a truck with a big saw cuts down dead trees. I knew right away, Mother Nature was still talking to me, about this thread. 😁😉
You have to look close, to see part of that big yellow truck. Close to the center, near where the treeline meets the skyline.

stevepusser

Just don't get dehydrated and have to be airlifted out:
I'd need some time to unwind after that rescue. Needs "you spin me right round baby" soundtrack added, too.

stardognine

Not impossible, but also not likely. I usually carry at least 5 liters of pop or water. And that's usually overkill, but I'd sure rather have too much, than not enough. 👍

alan s 

This place is literally on fire all the time.

stardognine

Needs more information, to make sense. That place is in the middle of swamps. 🤔

alan s 

Hell is burning. It’s a joke. Funny name for a state forest.

stardognine

Doh, it makes perfect sense now, lol. 🤓 I guess I was standing too close, before. 😁 😉 At least I didn't get lost in the swamp, like the hero they named that place for. 🙄😉
Back to off-topic, I got up to Seligman (again) last night, and this morning, I saw a busload of Asians walking through the tourist trap section. Some of those Asian women are hot. 😍😃😍