Smoke gets in your eyes . . .
What a month. That's all one can say about the month from July 23rd to August 23rd. Monterey County's problems started with the Soberanes Fire, which started back on July 23rd. Due to prevailing winds, the smoke from Soberanes infiltrated our canyon and permeated every aspect of what we do. While it is unlikely this fire would ever reach the rancho, its smoke certainly has. It is now 83,000 acres, there are 2,421 fire personnel battling this fire, and it is 60% contained. The expected containment date is September 30. Some time during the first week of August, with temperatures nearing 115 in our area, the Mineral Fire started, which was approximately 20 miles due north of us. This fire did have the potential to reach us. There was no big fire break between the rancho and the Mineral Fire, such as the 101, and our winds generally blow from north to south, so we were definitely on edge. Thanks to the work of the amazing firefig...