Yesterday friends and I headed to Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park, blithely continuing with plans made weeks ago. We made our usual pit stop at Water Canyon Coffee Co. before heading out, and lively chatted along the way, excited to be getting out of the Mojave for a little day trip. However, our trip was marred by the Southern California (SoCal) wildfires that have made headlines since Thursday. Tucked safely a couple hours away, we were concerned but physically detached from the devastation that was occurring West of us. It wasn't until we were about a li'l over an hour up the road that we immediately saw the ominous clouds of smoke from new fires that were starting in the next county over! In the pic below you can see homes in the midst of all the billowing smoke in the distance.
It brought me back to the nightmare of last year's SoCal fires that blazed right around the same time. It was a surreal deja vu that was occurring again.
I took these pics and could not believe that we were experiencing the fires firsthand!
A smoky haze engulfed the skies and the smell was discernible from even the confines of our car.
Traffic came to a standstill as emergency vehicles made their way past us on the emergency lanes.
Traffic finally continued after a 40 minutes lull, and we resumed without detour.... and ironically, without apprehension of danger. I don't know if it was because of "ignorance is bliss" or because the fires were 25 miles away, but we watched the billowing smoke through the windshield of our vehicle as if it were a television screen.... and like the detachment of a tv viewer, we felt safe. It didn't hit me that our safety could have been compromised until I saw the evening news and saw the thousands of residents fleeing and the sad news of injuries, fatalities, and hundreds of homes burnt to the ground. Please say a special prayer tonight for the SoCal residents who have lost so much right before the holidays.... and when Thanksgiving approaches, be thankful that you are able to spend it with loved ones and that you are able to rest your head under the haven of your home. We have much to be thankful for and that knowledge should never be taken for granted.
