Evacuated South Lake Tahoe today in our Escape - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Camping | Places, Gear and Planning > Trips and Travel Planning
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-28-2021, 01:36 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: South Lake Tahoe, California
Trailer: 2017 Escape 17B
Posts: 253
Evacuated South Lake Tahoe today in our Escape

We are about 1 1/2 mile from the mandatory evacuation line up on the summit behind our house, so we decided to get proactive and leave early in case the Caldor fire makes it over the hill. Fire is still 10 miles away, but when the wind comes up, it moves fast.

We threw all of our important stuff in the truck and trailer and hauled it over highway 88 to a family member's home in the Bay Area for safe keeping. Really wanted to save the Escape trailer, skis, bike, and clothes. The previous owners house burned in 2007 and was rebuilt in 2008 so we are hoping it doesn't happen again! A replacement would be the 3rd house on that lot.

The truck was pretty overloaded with camper full of stuff and trailer full of stuff, but it made it with no problems, even with one emergency panic stop because somebody broke down in the fast lane of the freeway.
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_1044.jpg  
skyfree is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 06:17 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
HABBERDABBER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Madison area, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2016 Escape 19 Chevy 2012 Express 3500 Van
Posts: 1,734
Yikes!

Glad you made it out before things turned bad. A true"Escape pod" you have.
HABBERDABBER is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 08:40 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
dstreight's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Northern Nevada, Nevada
Trailer: 2014 Escape 15A
Posts: 324
Sorry to hear you are in the Caldor fire's path. We live in Carson City and have had acrid hazardous smoke for the past 7+ weeks due to Dixie wildfire to the north and Tamarack & now Caldor fires to the south. Terrible situation for all!

Hope they find the people that had the illegal campfire that started the Caldor fire!
__________________
Dan Streight
dstreight is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 10:06 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
TahoeJoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: South Lake Tahoe, California
Trailer: 2017 5.0
Posts: 523
Glad to hear you got out OK! I am also in South Lake Tahoe, and not only are we just sick of the toxic air, but just this morning they issued a Red Flag warning for Monday, and I'm watching the fire be very active on the Eastern edge right now, so I think we are going to get out tomorrow. Our 5.0 is packed and ready to go! We will most likely head to the Santa Cruz area to get out of the smoke...
__________________
“We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.”
- Kurt Vonnegut
TahoeJoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 01:17 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
kernwig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Silverado, California
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C "S.S. Iceburg"
Posts: 135
One of the justifications for us to buy our Escape was as a fire evacuation pod. We once used a voluntary evacuation as cover (at work) to just take a road trip.

Best wishes; hope your home and community come through this safely.
kernwig is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 01:39 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
h2owmn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Placerville, California
Trailer: 2018 Escape 17A double dinette
Posts: 1,518
I'm on the western edge of the fire zone; it's about 13 miles from me but has not moved in this direction at all. Friends who live very close to the western part of the evacuation stayed here for a week while I was gone, then moved to another friend's vacant house. So far their house/neighborhood is safe and has been protected by controlled burn of all low vegetation on access roads. The air quality here at my place has varied from a low of 75 which is not all that good (midday into early evening when breeze blows toward the east) and 850 when the smoke blows back this way late evening until midmorning. My new and very expensive air purifier is working full blast, but doing a valiant job. I went out the garage a bit ago and nearly choked, so there's a big difference. Hoping for containment within about 10 days. The hitch is on the car and i'm ready to pull the trailer out at a moment's notice.
__________________
--Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced older woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force. --Dorothy Sayers
h2owmn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 02:35 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
brroberts's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Overbrook, Kansas
Trailer: 2021 E19 (Padawan)
Posts: 1,904
We are a long way from fires and hurricanes, but if anyone needs a temporary evacuation spot, I have a full hookup RV site to help tide someone over.
__________________
Randy & Barb
1998 C 2500 (Cruncher) and 2021 Ranger (Yoda)
brroberts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 08:34 PM   #8
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Cambria, California
Trailer: deposit
Posts: 28
These fires are so sad!! Good thing you have an "Escape" route. We are all to familiar with fires. We had the Woolsey fires a couple of years back. 6 houses burned around the corner from us. They are burning hotter!

Be safe!!!
MicheleNCali is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2021, 10:06 PM   #9
Ops
Senior Member
 
Ops's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Cowichan Valley, British Columbia
Trailer: 2020 - 21NE "JoMoE" (Just our Means of Escape)
Posts: 311
Quote:
Originally Posted by kernwig View Post
One of the justifications for us to buy our Escape was as a fire evacuation pod. We once used a voluntary evacuation as cover (at work) to just take a road trip.

Best wishes; hope your home and community come through this safely.
I second that reasoning. My father and his wife had to evacuate their orchard in the Kelowna fire in 2002 (my year maybe wrong as I write this). Then the videos of those leaving Fort Mac in Alberta confirmed it. It’s taken a while to say we’re prepared, but at least we’re at that point.
Ops is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 12:19 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: South Lake Tahoe, California
Trailer: 2017 Escape 17B
Posts: 253
Thanks everyone and brroberts for the offer of a place to stay. One good thing is that we've had lots of friends checking in and offering to help. That really helps mentally when fire is bearing down on your house.

Because we left on Friday, we missed the mass evacuation traffic jam when evacuation orders came in for all of South Lake. TahoeJoe I hope your exit wasn't too bad. 88 and 50 are both closed so that's the long way around to Santa Cruz.

Looks like the fire missed us about 2 miles to the south unless spot fires carry it our way in the high winds today. I look forward to the day when we can go back home and am super grateful to the firefighters out there with hoses and shovels protecting structures.
skyfree is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 12:57 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Felton, California
Trailer: 2018 21' ; 2014 19' (Sold)
Posts: 1,301
So glad you both made it out okay and fingers crossed that your houses will survive. Evacuating is an adrenalin rush, especially as you watch the smoke/fire billowing up behind you, but then there's the waiting -- the constant monitoring of the news, getting on-line to watch the CalFire reports, etc. You'll have some very sympathetic souls here in Santa Cruz to comfort you. Safe travels and prayers for a positive outcome.
__________________

Jan

We do not remember days, we remember moments.
- Cesare Pavese
CADreamin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 01:19 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
h2owmn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Placerville, California
Trailer: 2018 Escape 17A double dinette
Posts: 1,518
So far the cabins and chalet at Echo Lake are untouched, and the girl scout camp at Kirkwood Lake where my daughter and granddaughters attend as well. crossing fingers it stays that way.
__________________
--Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced older woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force. --Dorothy Sayers
h2owmn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 05:44 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Trailer: 2021 Escape E5.0; 2021 F150 PowerBoost
Posts: 1,190
All the best to those affected / threatened by the wildfires! Really feel for what you are going though...
kavm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 05:55 PM   #14
Site Team
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
My thoughts and prayers with ALL during this horrendous time. I wish you the best possible outcome.


I read earlier today crews are using snow-making machines to protect Heavenly Valley in South Tahoe and are spraying the ridgeline with man-made snow: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/l...e-0b6a97fd349b
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 09:29 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Centex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: East of Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2021 Escape 5.0 / 2022 F150 SuperCab
Posts: 2,866
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
My thoughts and prayers with ALL during this horrendous time. I wish you the best possible outcome.
Amen to that, Donna.
__________________
Alan E.
2021 Escape 5.0 / 2022 F150 Lariat SuperCab 6.5' box / Centex's 2021 5.0 Modifications
Centex is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 11:28 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Santa Rosa, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 15B sold, 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 367
Wishing you all the best, following the situation closely. We are in the north bay keeping the trailer ready to go.
Effie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 11:44 PM   #17
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Black Hills, South Dakota
Trailer: 5.0 TA 2021
Posts: 10
Air quality is pretty good down in the Bay Area. Stay safe.
elizabetsz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2021, 01:44 AM   #18
Site Team
 
John in Santa Cruz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mid Left Coast, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 5,122
Quote:
Originally Posted by elizabetsz View Post
Air quality is pretty good down in the Bay Area. Stay safe.
it comes and goes. Friday I had to drive to Campbell (Silicon Valley town near San Jose), and it was AWFUL there, also on the summit of 17. Santa Cruz was bright blue skies that day, but we've had some hazy days too

right now, purpleair https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/...7.611/-122.331 shows it moderately bad in the SF and Oakland areas. this is showing PM2.5 particulate at ground level.

you don't want to see how bad the South Shore Tahoe area is right now. hazardous to breathe.
John in Santa Cruz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2021, 11:59 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
h2owmn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Placerville, California
Trailer: 2018 Escape 17A double dinette
Posts: 1,518
the predicted high winds have not materialized, which has helped immensely, and the temps have been what used to be seasonably cool, which will continue for a couple moe days. they are on the verge of rescinding evacuation orders for people closest geographically to me.
__________________
--Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced older woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force. --Dorothy Sayers
h2owmn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2021, 04:02 AM   #20
Site Team
 
John in Santa Cruz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mid Left Coast, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 5,122
Our Escape made a great 'refugee' car when we were evacuated during the CZU fire last year in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Took a nice road trip, visited various places, ended up in Mckinleyville on the north coast where the air was clean and clear until the day after we left.
John in Santa Cruz is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:18 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.