FORGET LONDON TOWN!

We have all the fog you could possibly want in Three Rivers!

I've always loved fog - find it to be beautiful, ethereal, mystical - and this is the time of year to enjoy it.
Where we sit, above the San Joaquin Valley in California, we are usually above the fog (and wouldn't that be a great name for an art exhibit or a book - above the fog) but there are days when the fog reaches us or even travels above up into the mountains.

Today the fog is above us. This view is up toward Eagle's Nest.


Yesterday the fog level stopped just below us. These two photos were taken from our yard looking down-river:



Because the fog is a function of warm vs cold air plus moisture there is usually a "fog line" where the fog begins or ends abruptly. For us it is generally below us. We'll often drive down toward Visalia and not encounter fog until after Kaweah Lake. But, as occasionally occurs, the last couple of days have seen the fog moving upward.

In the Valley this time of year, fog is a major issue for drivers. Sometimes visibility is essentially nil. Route 99 from Bakersfield to Fresno will see multi-car pile-ups. The CHP has declared a policy that when visibility falls below 500' they will lead cars with a police car as the "pilot car". Of course that wouldn't be necessary if people would drive within the range of their visibility, but that can't be counted on. So, while I go out to walk dogs up around Mineral King Road and just thoroughly love the fog, I have to remember that it also represents danger.

Years ago, while living in San Diego, I went out to the Cuyamaca's to hike alone (I know, it isn't supposed to be safe) on a foggy day that became progressively more foggy. Only because I was on a very well marked trail that I'd hiked numerous times before could I even stay on my route. It was absolutely mystical! It seemed as if the fog actually moved through my body rather than me moving through it. Things would suddenly appear in front of me - a tree, a rock, a stream - that had been completely hidden from view until I was literally on top of them. And, when I finished my hike, I was wet to the skin from the heavy moisture of the fog. It may not have been my most intelligent hiking alone experience, but it was the most beautiful!