Idyllwild Fire Dept

I know you were fooled for a moment, but I have not joined the fire department. Nina's hubby got us a hook up to take the girls on a field trip to the Idyllwild fire department. Idyllwild is the mountain town where two of the most recent and devastating fires in our area have centered. So we got together that morning for school and talked about fire and fire safety and then carpooled up the hill.



The first half of the trip looked a lot like this...pretty charred.I was skeptical as to how Idyllwild would look.




But then we popped over a ridge and suddenly all the big, tall green trees were there and it was as if there weren't even any fires.It was kind of amazing how sudden the change occurred.One minute I was looking at black all the way up to houses and even some lost outbuildings, and the next it was tall green pines.I wish I had stopped to take a picture of a tree that was literally burnt on one half and the other half still had pine needles on it.



Anyway, we walked through the town to get to the station because, well, it is a cute mountain town worth walking through.Steve knew of a real estate guy who rescues animals on the side and knew he had a baby racoon so we stopped in to say hello.



Then we went to the fire house.



And tried on the gear...



They had the moms put on the gear, which was super stinky, and then walk around.It was heavy and we were supposed to be super impressed but, well, they don't know what it's like to be pregnant or carry a backpacking pack, so I admit I was sweating like a dog and quite uncomfortable as it felt quite claustrophobic but the weight didn't bother me.:-)



Our task was to convince our kids to come to us without being too scared (they were all hiding from us).They do this to get the kids used to the idea that if they are in a fire, they should not be scared and run away from the guys who look like these kind of monsters.K came right away and Em took a little while but eventually came.Ad didn't have a choice since she has a broken leg, and, as you can see, Jini's kids were thrilled.



Then we got to play on the truck...



After we were done, Steve took us to a little candy shop and we all got to pick out one treat.Yummy!



Thanks Steve!



Well, to all who live around here, Idyllwild is alive and just as beautiful as ever if you feel the need to camp or hike anytime soon.To the rest of you, have a wonderful day!!
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