Fire and -Not- Rain

At Sister’s House in Citrus Heights, CA

For the last week the air in the Sacramento Valley has been filled with smoke.  Good news, it has held the temperatures down to under 100 most days, and if it hits 100, it is only for an hour or two…not five or six hours.  Bad news...too many homes and businesses have been lost, a number of lives lost, and thousands have been displaced, some for a long, long time.

This is the sun going down over the Raley’s Supermarket nearby.  Normally it would still be very light out, for about another hour.  In the morning, it is just as bad, but cooler…and the smell of smoke welcomes your day.

Here is a snapshot of the fires in Northern California.  This map can be found here.  You click on the fire, and it will provide information about that particular fire.  Up in Redding, the Carr Fire is 133,924 acres and 39% contained, with over 1,070 structures destroyed, about 200 more damaged.  The largest fire is really two fires close together…they call it the Mendocino Complex, with the River Fire and Ranch Fire combined equaling over 150,000 acres…and only around 35% contained.  The Ferguson Fire is just west of Yosemite, it has closed the park, and 77,000 acres and 40% contained.  They are keeping it away from the Merced Redwood Grove by back burning from the grove…so far this has worked.  Just to the right of Sacramento are two fires which popped up within an hour of each other on Wednesday afternoon…both are 95% contained and both have been held to under 70 acres…they were lucky in that they were so close to the large McClellan Airbase in Sacramento that CalFire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) uses as their head base for planes and helicopters.  This was McClellan Air Force Base, which operated as an Air Force Base from 1935-2003, although most Air Force Activities ended in 2001…then two years of cleanup.

As I was out getting “smoke pictures” the other night, I saw this sign associated with a brand new Car Wash over by Raley’s.  As I have said before, Raley’s has been the “go to” store since I was just a young kid…a large Raley’s was just blocks from the home I lived in during the late 50’s and early 60’s.  Founded in 1935 by Thomas P. Raley in Placerville as Raley's Drive-In Market, Thomas ran the company until his death at the age of 88 in 1991, and it is still family run and owned. Raley's purchased Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and started Food Source in 1990's.  They currently have 121 stores, most in Northern California, with around a dozen found in Northern Nevada.  Anyway, who could refuse a Free Car Wash? 

Well, a line like this can keep you away…especially when I told Marcia I would be gone just a few minutes…not an hour.  However, that was Wednesday…today is Friday and the FREE CAR WASH is still on…so today I went...and the line was even longer.

Apparently the “FREE CAR WASH” is a TEN day promotion with the opening of the new car wash.  It has been open for about a week…but the FREE part just started on August 1st.  And YES, they were still busy today…I was barely able to turn in off the street.  I timed it, and they were washing a car just about every 40 seconds.  They had at least a dozen staff members on hand to show you where to go, answer questions, and essentially keep the line moving.  They of course are advertising (pushing) their monthly unlimited car wash service for the low price of $19.99 for one vehicle, $15 for any other vehicles.  And as an opening day special…the BEST car wash, normally $39.99 for unlimited per month, can be purchased for $19.99 for the first three months.  Of course, when I told him I was from Florida…he told me to enjoy the free car wash, and moved to the next vehicle.

   

   

NEVER have I seen so many different colors gong through a car wash…I guess that is why they call it Quick Quack Car Wash…I will refer it as “QUACKY” from now on because of all the quacky colors.  Based in Roseville, (just north of Citrus Heights), it operates in Utah, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and California with over 50 locations.Using filtering technology, it reclaims 100% of the water used in each cleaning operation, and utilizes biodegradable and non-toxic soaps and cleansers.  I give it 4 out of 5 QUACKY stars…only because for the same $$$$, the car wash I use in this area "THEY" do the vacuuming, wiping of the interior, and they hand dry the car after it passes through the wash machine…all while I sit inside or outside watching everything going on.  But for a QUICK car wash, QUACKY will be my go to place when visiting my family in the area...but they have not replaced Sundance Car Wash which is another mile to the north from Sandy's house.