A Roadblock Disdained...

July 9, 2008, about 10:30 pm...

Just got an email from one of our neighbors who lives in Kincannon Canyon... seems that a dutiful officer of the CHP set up a roadblock at the Jamesburg "circle" - where the road turns from pavement to dirt. 

She was upset and didn't know what to do, and asked me for help. So, I walked down to the circle, found no one there and decided to chat with Chris and Kathleen, who manage the Sitting with Fire 'blog, at the Zen Center's house. Chris - who, by the way, looks and sounds like the actor Alan Rickman - told me that it was all a mistake.

A number of residents, returning home from the Cachagua Community Park Fire Information Meeting were told that they could not pass. Well, as it happens, not one but quite a few people spoke in no uncertain terms about their intentions and contested the officer's information.

No doubt a few sharp words were exchanged before the officer realized that perhaps his rightful post was at the National Forest Boundary about 5 miles up the dirt road.

In any case, a good time not having been had by all, each an every departed to his or her rightful destination.

A little of what passes for excitement in these trying times in Jamesburg.

On another note, I chanced upon one of the evacuees from Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, who told me the that fire had made a run along the Tassajara Creek drainage and they could see the flames quite clearly. So, they decided to get out sooner than later. It must have been quite a sight to have caused them to exceed their threshold of comfortability.

5 of the Mountain Center crew stayed behind after they were told that if they passed a checkpoint, they could not return. They decided to stay with the Mountain Center. They may still be safely escorted out of the Hot Springs if they elect to leave later, according to Rod McMahon, Information Officer of Cachagua Fire.