Western US cyclist: are you riding in the smoke?
#101
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Not me! I live a few miles north of you and it's bad here as well. I won't be out riding or running until this stuff gets blown away. I'm pretty much staying indoors.
#102
Jazz Aficionado
Here in Denver and Colorado, as little as possible on the past very heavy air particulate days, even with hits of Albuterol in the system. Some of the bad air days were just nasty. Air lately, much better.
#103
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Our club rode last night and the sun here in Pennsylvania is actually obscured from smoke due to the western fires. Even more obscured this morning.. hard to believe!
To everyone affected out west - stay safe!
To everyone affected out west - stay safe!
#104
Banned
Light rain overnight. but still grey calm winds fog feels normal but may hold soot in it..
more light rain in next days.. hope it helps quell the blazes at least help the fire crews get more control..
Smoke will remain, post mist, per PDX news ..
more light rain in next days.. hope it helps quell the blazes at least help the fire crews get more control..
Smoke will remain, post mist, per PDX news ..
#105
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Under 100 for the first time in awhile so I commuted to work this morning. Visibility is crap, but the air is breathable. I'm guessing that's due to the differences in particle size.
#106
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Hi fietsbob, We may get some rain here also in Napa County. The air is getting better a little every day. The fires in northern CA are pretty much conquered now. We are looking forward to some breeze from the ocean from the west which has been absent for some time. Rain all over CA would be super ! Going to attempt a ride today with my N95 mask and see hw it goes.
#107
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Well, I had it all planned. Brought clothes in yesterday, was going to ride the road bike in today. Announced the plan to the wife and son, who promptly guilted me out of it. Was still motivated to go this morning, then read a LA Times article about if it's OK to exercise. Then checked the AQMD site - while yesterday it showed there was a nice yellow section for a good chunk of my ride, this morning I would have been riding in the red zone all the way. /Sigh, fine I'll drive. Maybe pollute my innards with an egg sandwich or something.
I should be consoled by the notion that when I got to work, the smokey smell was much worse than it had been at home. And visibility is crap. Last night, I realized that headlights looked like they were cutting through fog. It was smoke.
Ya know, all the l the times I've looked at that picture, I never noticed the guy smack-dab in the middle. Looks like he's getting ready to shoot the gap, maybe take a drag.
I should be consoled by the notion that when I got to work, the smokey smell was much worse than it had been at home. And visibility is crap. Last night, I realized that headlights looked like they were cutting through fog. It was smoke.
Ain't that the truth. Three weeks ago we were closing up the house when it went over 50. This weekend, when it dropped to around 125 we opened up the windows. Also, I'd made it a rule not to ride if it was over 70, but yesterday when it was <120 all along my route I went ahead and rode. The roads were very empty, not only of cyclists, but even of cars. No more than 10% of a normal Sunday afternoon, in terms of other cyclists.
I guess it was about as healthy as these guys....
I guess it was about as healthy as these guys....
#108
Junior Member
Yep. I haven't been able to commute for at least a week on my bike. I just look at it in the garage and spin the tires to keep the sealant moving.
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#109
Senior Member
AQI in the Rogue Valley is down to 260 this morning. Very Unhealthy as opposed to Hazardous. Visibility is up to maybe 3/4 mile, but the air still smells like someone tossed an old tubular on the Bar-B-Q. Even my cats are sneezing.
#110
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AQI down to 315 today from 340. Read that the Bobcat fire in the San Gabriel Mtns will not be contained until October 30. Ordered a four filter mask online for industrial use that I will give a try. Hopefully I can get back riding by the weekend.
#111
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Here the light is pretty normal. But I am still feeling something in my lungs from my recent activities. Air quality not so great. So I’m sitting here coaching my grandson on making hash browns etc for breakfast. At 16 he needs to learn how to feed himself. But I wanted to ride and it’s really hurting not too. Very depressing.
#112
Newbie
Dodging bad air
I joined my brother in Running Springs near Big Bear California for a mountain bike ride. The Pasadena area is well smoked in and there are even fires near Big Bear. Running Springs has some smoke, but when we rode nearer to Big Bear the air was clear. Unfortunately the entire National Forest was closed. Fortunately, no one was checking!
We had a great ride, to trails we were at we so well groomed and marked that my brother actually paid our entry fee ($10 ea.) even though there was no one taking attendance.
I can recommend Rim Nordic area.
We had a great ride, to trails we were at we so well groomed and marked that my brother actually paid our entry fee ($10 ea.) even though there was no one taking attendance.
I can recommend Rim Nordic area.
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#113
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The the air in the Bay Area cleared out A LOT today. Single digit AQIs in the city, low double digits on the Peninsula right now. So I left my Excel files to their own devices and went for a spin.
EDIT: No way of knowing how long this will last. I didn't want to take a chance on it crapping up overnight.
EDIT: No way of knowing how long this will last. I didn't want to take a chance on it crapping up overnight.
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"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
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#114
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Whelp I went out for a sub 40k trail ride. I figured getting out in to the woods would help with my mental outlook. I was going squirrelly not exercising. Was nice to get out on the bike and in the woods the smoke didn't seem as bad.
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#115
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it's gotten better in san diego county but it was never as bad as regional areas like san bernardino or la or ventura counties.
only notable experiences lately were two afternoons of significant ash/particle fallout in the balboa park/dtown san diego area at the onset of the valley fire, approx 25 miles east or so distant. the heat and intensity of the fire propelled the particles almost directly west but the fairly constant 7.8 mph breeze from the sw kept both the smell and the smoke away. weird. it was like snowflakes without
the cold/chill.
aq was supposed in the 130's+140's in metro sd...only did a 21-miler today.
only notable experiences lately were two afternoons of significant ash/particle fallout in the balboa park/dtown san diego area at the onset of the valley fire, approx 25 miles east or so distant. the heat and intensity of the fire propelled the particles almost directly west but the fairly constant 7.8 mph breeze from the sw kept both the smell and the smoke away. weird. it was like snowflakes without
the cold/chill.
aq was supposed in the 130's+140's in metro sd...only did a 21-miler today.
#116
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It's my 60th birthday this weekend, and my plan was to ride a 300k for 3x my age. Not happening. Instead we'll go up to my daughter's, SE of Seattle, where the AQI is currently less than half of here. I'll be papa to the grandsons, maybe take the 4 yo out and see if he's ready for pedals on his bike. It's not a bad gig.
I'll probably throw the work laptop in the trunk, and take one bike or the other, just in case we decide to stay a while. The entire west coast looks screwed to a degree, from BC to Mexico.
I'll probably throw the work laptop in the trunk, and take one bike or the other, just in case we decide to stay a while. The entire west coast looks screwed to a degree, from BC to Mexico.
#117
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We're bike-touring in northern MN.. the sun the last couple days has been obscured by (smoke)haze and the sunlight is a decided pinkish-orange. Looks very odd. Air quality itself is still good though..aqi in the 10-20 range.
#118
Member
Damned if I Do and damned if I Don't
Yes and No. Here in the SF bay area, I stopped riding when the AQI got over 100. But not riding (days, weeks?) poses certain other health risks for me so I started riding again if the AQI was under 150 (unhealthy). I wear a mask when riding (simple straps behind the ears kind) and that makes the air "taste" better tho I suppose I am still breathing in small particles. I am thinking of going to an N95 mask for better filtering tho I find that uncomfortable to wear for long periods.
The Old Peddler
The Old Peddler
#119
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Two mile walk with AQI at 290. Sinuses are inflamed. Waiting for four filter carbon mask to arrive then will try a bike ride. All of SoCal has poor AQ.
Mammoth Lakes, my go to summer recreation destination, has AQI of over 1100. Crazy to think what is going on with the flora and fauna in California besides the fires.
Mammoth Lakes, my go to summer recreation destination, has AQI of over 1100. Crazy to think what is going on with the flora and fauna in California besides the fires.
#121
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There are a lot of good condition parked 747s. It looks to me like the western states should form a corporation and buy up a fleet of them, and convert them to water bombers. We see on the news of one single helicopter or water bomber dropping a small amount of water. How ever the short range pay load of a 747 is 250,000 pounds. When a fire threatens a town, fly a whole fleet ,15-20 over the fire and put it out. Repeat if necessary. Five MILLION pounds of water on a fire on the out skirts of town would surely help douse the fire, to where fire fighters could then kill it off.
#123
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115 AQI in San Diego today. I pedaled hard. And felt it.
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Two wheels good. Four wheels bad.
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#124
Senior Member
Lee vining this morning was recording an air quality of 1040... dam..
#125
Senior Member
I saw this morning all the reading around the bay area was green. Must be nice for a change. In the Central valley, 160s,
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