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JULY, 2014: CHELAN

Aerial views of the most ferocious fires in Washington State history, and then my grandson....
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My stateside home: Beautiful Lake Chelan, the third deepest lake in the U.S., and one of the very few remaining large pristine lakes in the country. The little community you see to your right is Manson, which is about 7 miles from my house. The smoke you see is from what became the largest fire complex in WA state history, with some of the most explosive growth ever seen. The word while I was there was that this fire advanced more than 30 miles in one single day. We were under preliminary evacuation alert (basically, "be ready to leave at a moment's notice") most of the time I was home this time.
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My stateside home: Beautiful Lake Chelan, the third deepest lake in the U.S., and one of the very few remaining large pristine lakes in the country. The little community you see to your right is Manson, which is about 7 miles from my house. The smoke you see is from what became the largest fire complex in WA state history, with some of the most explosive growth ever seen. The word while I was there was that this fire advanced more than 30 miles in one single day. We were under preliminary evacuation alert (basically, "be ready to leave at a moment's notice") most of the time I was home this time.

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  • My stateside home: Beautiful Lake Chelan, the third deepest lake in the U.S., and one of the very few remaining large pristine lakes in the country. The little community you see to your right is Manson, which is about 7 miles from my house. The smoke you see is from what became the largest fire complex in WA state history, with some of the most explosive growth ever seen. The word while I was there was that this fire advanced more than 30 miles in one single day. We were under preliminary evacuation alert (basically, "be ready to leave at a moment's notice") most of the time I was home this time.
  • From Lake Chelan to SeaTac in a minute and 15 seconds. You'll start out seeing Lake Chelan and the large fire complex, followed by a new fire and Glacier Peak. Then, on approach to Seattle, if you look closely at the upper right of the frame you'll see Mount Baker on the smoky-hazy horizon.
  • I'm not sure how the new little fire progressed. Notice the smoke at the lower margin of the photo: This is from a different large fire complex between Chelan and Wenatchee (a town about 30 minutes south of Chelan), which you will see better on our "return trip" from Seattle to Wenatchee (This was the fire near Entiat).
  • The west slope of the Cascades (which we are over in this shot) gets several times the rain as the east side, so fires don't tend to be a problem here -- or at least are very rare. Glacier Peak to your right. Mount Baker on the horizon to your left (gotta admit that I REALLY miss the mountains when I'm at my Saipan home).
  • Even with blazes in the high country, any time "the mountain is out" in Seattle (meaning that you can see Mount Rainier), it is considered a good omen (and a downright spectacular sight). Mount Rainier is about 75 miles away from SeaTac airport.
  • Out of our jet from Chicago and into a small turboprop to return over the Cascades to Wenatchee en route to Chelan. Here you see Seattle on Elliot Bay.
  • On board the little turboprop en route to Wenatchee. Glacier Peak to start with. About 55 seconds in, as you just start to see the Entiat fire, the mountains coming into view from your right in the foreground are, I believe, the Enchanted Lakes area (often called "The Enchantments"), a place I have tried to get to but have failed. While I would greatly like to see this area (from the trail), I suspect that my advancing age and physical condition would no longer allow it. It does look like a spectacular area though, don't you think?<br /> <br /> Lake Chelan, by the way, is just on the other side of that smoke. So, we were sandwiched by this flame to our south and the large fire complex you saw earlier to our north.
  • Glacier Peak in the background. Smoke from the Entiat fire in the mid-ground. Lake Chelan hidden behind the smoke (and more smoke from a larger fire complex hidden behind that).
  • Now, for a flame of a different kind: Rio and Bev.
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  • I think, for some reason, I bring out the little comedian in him!
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  • Pitting cherries for making ice cream! And for Rio to enjoy NOW!
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  • Rio: The crowning achievement.<br /> <br /> Join us next as we leave our house (under preliminary evacuation orders) to start our cruise (seemed pretty weird leaving the house under those circumstances, but we could not have made a difference if we stayed {and in the end it was OK anyway}).
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