My wife Beth and I had the pleasure of visiting Incline Village, Nev. for two weeks in late August and early September.
Bring up a mental image of the Michael Corleone mansion in “Godfather II” or the Cartwright’s Ponderosa ranch from the long-running television series “Bonanza” and you will understand the stunning beauty of the 8,500 feet-above-sea-level, incredibly-steep Sierra Nevada mountains, covered with 200-foot-tall sugar and ponderosa pines.
The trip to visit our friend Carole was planned for months. The tickets bought and paid for. Then the news of the Caldor fire – exploding to thousands of acres, with more than 1,000 structures destroyed and approaching the Town of South Lake Tahoe, less than 30 miles away from where we would be staying – became top of mind.
We decided to risk it and leave early if necessary. We also decided to make sure if we left early, Carole would come with us, no matter how resolute her desire to remain.
Lake Tahoe is a pristine body of water, 72 miles around. It is located in the crook of Nevada and California. The lake is fed from winter snows caught by the mountains as the Pacific storms move west to east. On the west side of the mountains are dense forests, where winter snows can reach 14 feet in depth. On the east side is desert with very little rain. The long-term drought in California and other states has made these verdant forests tinder dry. The state and federal forests have been closed to the public to reduce risk. The skill and bravery of the many agencies fighting the fires and the strategies used are extraordinary – yet, a change in the wind direction can cause the fire to voraciously consume the forest and set back containment percentages without any warning.
The smoke was so thick from nearby fires that the Air Quality Index ran as high as 171. The view across Lake Tahoe and to the mountain peaks was obliterated entirely on some days.
California is the home to nearly 40 million people. Record drought is causing reservoirs and rivers to dry up. Lack of water for agriculture will show up eventually in the cost of produce and canned goods in our Ingles. Robbinsville gasoline price just went up by 10 cents per gallon because of hurricane-related well and refining issues. I don’t want to get all preachy about climate change. The fires in the west are no accident caused because careless campers did not listen to Smoky the Bear. The hurricanes become more intense in warmer seas and the floods occur because sea level is rising. Our local flash floods are happening because we are receiving consistently more rainfall than is usual. These facts come from real science.
There are solutions, but the window is closing. If you don’t believe, at least don’t obstruct. Some day, your children and grandchildren will be glad the climate problems we are currently experiencing did not get worse due to our inaction.
There are always naysayers in a democracy. Do you want to be one of them?
Roger Carlton writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. Email him at rcarlton57@hotmail.com.