Smoke Is Bad (Idaho Falls, Dubois, Teton: food, best, business)

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by mountainrose

I lived on lake CdA for ten years and loved it there.
But the summer smoke from the burning wheat fields and wildfires damaged my airways.
We had to move to save my lungs.
My lungs were normal and healthy before CdA. After ten years of breathing particulate, I permanently damaged my airways.
We did not have AC or any HEPA air filters. So I urge you to wear N95 masks and get good air filters for when the smoke is bad.. And Do not exercise outside when the smoke is bad.

So, I am to do what a complete stranger urges me to do? Not going to happen! But might be good info for others.



I'll continue to exercise outside regardless of the smoke, as for a mask; only when I cut the grass and due to large dogs, many pockets of dirt that equals dust blowing in my face. Otherwise, I have stopped wearing masks into any place I go.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by mountainrose

....... And Do not exercise outside when the smoke is bad.

The smoke has been bad enough this year to make it unpleasant to go hiking or even to have the boat out on the lake. That outdoor recreation is what is most attractive about this area and the smoke certainly reduces that attraction.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

The smoke has been bad enough this year to make it unpleasant to go hiking or even to have the boat out on the lake. That outdoor recreation is what is most attractive about this area and the smoke certainly reduces that attraction.

That sucks. Was your user name chosen due to fire conditions in Oregon? I'm guessing not.

My 90 year old mom finally traveled again for the first time in 18 months, down to my sister's place in Moscow, Idaho. Sounds like she may not be getting out of the house much, if the air quality is that bad.

Here she wasn't getting out much due to incessant rain. Sure wish we could trade you a week's worth of our weather for yours.

[volosong]

I've the urge to ride the Route of the Hiawatha. They close for the season in about a week and a half. For those who have ridden it this year, and especially recently, has it been too smoky?

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by volosong

I've the urge to ride the Route of the Hiawatha. They close for the season in about a week and a half. For those who have ridden it this year, and especially recently, has it been too smoky?

A friend who got a big box of them just gave me 3 N95 masks with a ventilator valve.

I've used them often in the past to stop particulate irritation, and they're almost as good as a respirator for stopping vapor irritation for a short time.

I think that if you can tolerate their air restriction, wearing one where the smoke is pooling the worst would sure help, but you might have to loaf peddling the bike while you're wearing one.

They're hard to find now; I couldn't find any in Idaho Falls, and my friend had to buy them in bulk to get a deal on them. She works out side in her lawn and gardens every day, so she'll eventually use them up, but they are super-expensive as single masks right now if they can be found on the internet at all.

Let year, all the manufacture stopped. This year, the masks are being made, but the supply lines are broken everywhere. Same shortages as last year, for different reasons.

[banjomike]

I called a friend in Bozeman yesterday. I mentioned how the smoke had hit me hard and forced the cancellation of the trip I had planned to make last week because it was so smoky here then. The drive became out of the question.

The smoke here isn't that bad now. It's here, but it's not thick. He said if I had left from Bozeman last week, it was pretty good there.

But right now, it's so thick over on the other side of the Divide he can't see the mountains. The Bridgers are only about a mile or less away from his house, so that's very thick smoke.
I lived not very far away from his house when I lived there, and while I was there, Bozeman got smoky a few times. Montana burns every summer. The smoke was never that thick, though.

When I decided I couldn't make the drive to Oregon, I thought about flying, but I need a car to get around once there, so I checked with Hertz to see if there were rentals available. Nope. All gone, and a waiting list for rental cars.

He said Hertz had plenty of them in Bozeman, but only if they're rented for a minimum of 10 days. At $5,000 a pop. $6,000 for a big family-sized SUV. Between Covid, the big fires, and other stuff, this has become another very messed-up year.

[nm9stheham]

Originally Posted by banjomike

He said Hertz had plenty of them in Bozeman, but only if they're rented for a minimum of 10 days. At $5,000 a pop. $6,000 for a big family-sized SUV. Between Covid, the big fires, and other stuff, this has become another very messed-up year.

I air travel a lot and the rental car prices have been double the previous norm this summer and availability is poor. But $5000-6000 for a week has just not been the case whenever I have checked this past summer. Sounds like Rumor Central is in control!

I just checked Avis at the Bozeman airport and you can rent a standard or full size next Monday for a week for $300. (Ditto for Budget which is owned by Avis.) So check around; this might be doable for you.

[dcisive]

Smoke here just west of Twin Falls is horrible. The worst I've EVER seen it. Not sure how much longer to expect it this bad, but it's really bad. It's been over a decade since I rented a car. Last time I did, it was back in 2011. A Lincoln Town car which just happened to be brand new into the system (I was the first driver). That was sweet. It cost me $207 with taxes and everything for a WEEK! Man are those days in the past or what? I can't imagine paying 10 months of a car payment for a freaking week of a car rental. They must be making money hand over fist at these times.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

We drove back from NID to our winter prison/work last week, and the smoke in Southern Idaho and in particular in Utah was terrible. It didn't start clearing up partially until we got to St. George, and the smoke stayed with us all the way to San Diego County. Our fire season begins now in SoCal. Oh joy.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by dcisive

Smoke here just west of Twin Falls is horrible. The worst I've EVER seen it. Not sure how much longer to expect it this bad, but it's really bad. It's been over a decade since I rented a car. Last time I did, it was back in 2011. A Lincoln Town car which just happened to be brand new into the system (I was the first driver). That was sweet. It cost me $207 with taxes and everything for a WEEK! Man are those days in the past or what? I can't imagine paying 10 months of a car payment for a freaking week of a car rental. They must be making money hand over fist at these times.

I thought that rental fee was preposterous too. Price gouging is bound to happen somewhere in the situation we're all in these days, but that seems to be a flagrant case of gouging to me.