I don't know if you remember, Mac, but the CIA choppers in Vietnam were actually painted white.

You are one of my all-time favorite DUers! And you are correct about the Air America/CIA choppers in 'Nam!

actually that is a true story... FED EX bought quite a bit of them.

Odd mood... read enough into health statistics and your mind starts to GOOOOO!!!!!!

Damn good questions and nice pic. So your down south this season? It's good to see you again, I enjoy your posts.

Looking down on the lights of Tucson from almost 9000 feet.

Hope you have a nice breeze...

I have two electric heaters going!

Desert cold nights..you are high enough to have reasonable day temps I hope. I need to google your location, I'm thinking Flagstaff but that's probably not right. Burrrr, we finally warmed up this week.

Just north of Tucson in the southern part of Arizona. Mt. Lemmon.

Google Earth:
N 32°26'5.62"
W -110°47'21.52"

I been Ayn Randed, nearly branded
Communist, ‘cause I’m left-handed
That’s the hand I use, well never mind!

But no probes, butt or otherwise, yet!

here again! Looking forward to your photos again. Funny how you and my friend (who is an air tactical) end up there at the same time... he's visiting family but could end up working any fire in any of the western states.

Careful about asking too many questions, you know how that can get out of hand.

Hope you have a fine time at the lookout this season.

Cheers,

2na.

Dont ask me how I know that........

pulls out the recorder, with a mike for better sound.

Brings out the coffee... "tell me how you know."

I pulled my car into my yard and closed my gate.

Above me I heard a soft "whoop-whoop-whoop" moving above me.

Looked up and could see the outline of a very large helicopter shape, all black with no running lights whatsoever, at an altitude of probably no more than 200ft moving at a very slow rate (20mph or so), with slow moving rotors creating that whoop sound.

I stood there slack jawed for probably 5 minutes as it kept traveling in a straight line and disappeared.

choppers can be crazy.

Just another day at the lookout, eh?

Didn't know you were back there already...good to hear from you, Mac!

Fire season starts early (April 5 for me, this year), and ends early with the monsoon (August 9 for me, last year). Oregon was mid-May to late October (some years). This way I can get back home to the Carolina mountains and enjoy the end of summer. And see sweet Nick-Nick (he is too old to bring out here anymore).

It's so dry where I am -- and the whole state of California. We just have our fingers crossed as fire season commences here.

So I can keep an eye on you, fire-wise. I heard a jerk at the general store in Summerhaven, AZ, late today (I ran down for a couple of things for my supper - 45 minute round-trip for 1.6 miles as-the-crow-flies) arguing that we should have NOT suppressed the Miami Fire that started in Summerhaven on Miami Street last Saturday. It is not natural, he argued - obviously not a resident of Summerhaven, which lost 400 structures to the Aspen Fire in 2003. Fortunately, I had taken off my fire clothes. Had on my Appalachian Trail shirt and jeans. He was too stupid to notice that the locals greeted me like a rock-star when I walked in the store (or maybe he thought I was a rock-star, and not just the dude that watched over their fire-prone oasis is the sky island of Mt Lemmon).

A few years back we had I think 3 regional fires in one year. Zaca Fire was the biggest because they let it burn itself out into the forest, and it went on for months. It was many miles away, but impacted the air quality badly. The Jesusita Fire was close -- my daughter had to evacuate the animals from her preschool, which is how I got the hens I now have. The Gap Fire was in between, and that was the one that freaked me out, because it was in the foothills straight back from the tract I live in, and when we lost our power after dark everything was illuminated by fire. I took the dog and bolted, but I needn't have, as it turned out.

I got here in1979, and the worst fire of all in my time here was 1990's Painted Cave Fire. That sucker roared out of the mountains, burned through housing tracts, jumped roads , jumped a highway, jumped US101, and was heading straight for the Pacific Ocean by the time it was brought under control. One of its edges was 3 miles from us -- much too close considering the speed it was traveling.

When the Gap Fire first started, we gathered across the street with our neighbors to watch its progress. Someone brought out the ice cream bars from their freezer to share, since they were going to melt anyway. We speculated which explosions were cell towers and which were trees. One house on our street is always rented to a bunch of college students, and I listened to these youngsters compare notes, marking the years of their lives by California fires.

So here's to you, the fire spotter, and here's to the firefighters! God bless you, every one!

Glad to see you here!

I mean like UFO's

The big sighting was a few years ago - the giant V - was it called the Denver Lights?

What do you do for water - they bring in jugs or tanks for you?

enjoyed your op

We lived in Catalina during the 2003 fire & that was a bit scary. The helicopters were flying over near our place with bucket's of water. We ended up with a few critter's that had managed to get off the mountain, they didn't show up after awhile so we had assumed they went back home once the fire's were out. Speaking of Pinal Air Park we now live about 5 to 10 mins. from there & we've seen some strange air craft over our way. Hubby & I would love to come up to visit you one day if that would not be a problem. We have followed all of what you have posted in the past & lately. Thank you for what you do!

If NSA outsources the means and methods to piratize national intel, who knows what they know -- and own -- by now?

Hi Mac,

Good to see you at the gate today as I started my hike. I went down the trail from the lookout to Lemmon Pools in the Wilderness of Rocks, and was climbing backup that long 2000 vertical feet at and after sunset, wondering about the small plane that began circling, and circled and circled (and circled some more until it was rather dark save for the moonlight). Perhaps time seem stretched due to my huffing and puffing up that steep trail, but it seemed as though the plane circled for over an hour.

I'd seen the posting by "bananas" on DU on Friday ( http://www.democraticunderground.com/101411050 ) about a plane circling over the Twin Cities through the night, and others posted comments about planes circling Quicy Mass, and other places. Weird stuff.

Granted, you posted here about a helicopter, not a small plane, but I wondered if you notice small planes circling the peak (which don't appear to just be on sightseeing tours).

--Tom