Ebike withdrawal due to poor air quality (wildfire smoke)

[ebikemom]

The area I live in is fortunate not to be directly experiencing wildfires--no evacuations, no flames. BUT, we are innundated with smoke from wildfires in the region.

So, we have air pollution containing fine particulate matter that can damage the lungs. Charming. I tried to ride my bike in it on a day when it wasn't so bad, just "moderate" air quality, and my son's eyes got all swollen, sending us home for benadryl. We stopped biking.

So, hoping for rain to wash all of this out of the air and give some relief to the firefighters as well.

I really miss riding my bike. We drove to a family picnic potluck that was less than a mile away. Today I drove to the grocery store and did other close errands by car. I am really dreading driving to a commitment I have on Thursday that is a 15 mile drive in rush hour. It'll take an hour and a half by car. It takes me 15 minutes on my ebike, over half of it on a beautiful trail with views of the lake, mountains and also woodland scenery ....

Pollution is a bummer. And it helps remind me what we also are about every mile that we ebike instead of driving our cars. We are reducing pollution. It is ironic to me to have to drive and make things worse, when the air is too dirty to ride a bike in.

Here's a photo ... not mine, but it gives an idea of what we are dealing with here ...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

@ebikemom, I've maybe ridden thirty miles this whole month.

Right now the air quality has dramatically improved to merely "unhealthy" from several days of "hazardous". I've got N95 filter masks but the very idea of riding with them makes me claustrophobic.

The McCleod Fire is about fifteen miles to my NW at the moment, so I've had to pay close attention to wind direction and wind events because I suspect the evacuation warnings won't come with much warning.

FWIW there is a weak front passing through in the next few days that will likely improve the air for you wet-siders. For me that is likely to produce high, gusty winds and cooler temperatures but little to no rain.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I stand corrected. We're back to Hazardous air...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'm going to a conference in San Francisco next week and in retrospect it would have been smarter to spend the last three weeks biking to the conference than sit here in this miserable smoke.

 

[ebikemom]

I'm going to a conference in San Francisco next week and in retrospect it would have been smarter to spend the last three weeks biking to the conference than sit here in this miserable smoke.

AWESOME idea! If only we could turn back time!!! Maybe you can change your ticket and go sooner, and enjoy riding rental ebikes! That'd be great pollution-recovery therapy!!!!!

And, isn't google helpful? Here's what it supplies when I google <city name> air quality.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

AWESOME idea! If only we could turn back time!!! Maybe you can change your ticket and go sooner, and enjoy riding rental ebikes! That'd be great pollution-recovery therapy!!!!!

And, isn't google helpful? Here's what it supplies when I google <city name> air quality.

I use this site:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/

Which gives AQI figures for the whole state... I'm at 338 and it seems to be climbing this afternoon. Right now I am flying out Friday evening so that will give me most of two days on a weekend to ding around in SF and hopefully breathe nontoxic air.

 

[chriskmee]

I feel your pain. I bought the bike about 2 months ago, rode it for a week or two, then there as a chance of thunderstorms for about a week straight. I use my bike to commute to work 10 miles each way, and I didn't want to risk dealing with storms on a bike. Then after the storms we dealt with about a month of questionable to bad air quality thanks to all the wildfires nearby. I just this week started riding to work again.

 

[chriskmee]

I use this site:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/

Which gives AQI figures for the whole state... I'm at 338 and it seems to be climbing this afternoon. Right now I am flying out Friday evening so that will give me most of two days on a weekend to ding around in SF and hopefully breathe nontoxic air.

Here is a really good site for seeing and visualizing the air quality. https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=254

 

[ebikemom]

Great site! I live between readings of 193 and 220. Not good. I can't believe your area's reading is 338.

I do have an air filter, and have been using it in a closed room. Hang in there!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Great site! I live between readings of 193 and 220. Not good. I can't believe your area's reading is 338.

I do have an air filter, and have been using it in a closed room. Hang in there!

Omak, Chelan, and Wenatchee were all in the high 400's last week. That had to be heinous.

I and some friends had dinner at Vin du Lac Winery in Chelan in late July. Even then it was smoky but the AQI was in the 90s and you could at least sit outside and taste the fairly decent wine.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Same here. I went on Sunday and paid dearly for it on Monday. Ugh, I felt horrible!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Same here. I went on Sunday and paid dearly for it on Monday. Ugh, I felt horrible!

I made that mistake last year, except that I "toughed it out" for about four days before I came to my senses. My breathing started feeling normal in December.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I made that mistake last year, except that I "toughed it out" for about four days before I came to my senses. My breathing started feeling normal in December.

Brutal. I walk past my bike the last few days and it sits there with this forlorn puppy dog look on its fork that says "ride me... why won't you ride me?!!???"
OK Dave... now you're just being ridiculous.

 

[Diarmuid]

Taken this morning.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Taken this morning.

Sadly, it's VERY close to that in Vancouver.
Disgusting!!! Lol!

 

[Cowlitz]

Here is something bad that we used to do to help our eyes while working on the big slash burns. We'd wear swim goggles. That way, (we were young and stupid) you could stay in the smoke a lot longer because your eyes weren't getting smoky. Eventually, the goggles fogged up and one would have to get into fresher air.

This morning, I could barely see the hills to the east and they have now disappeared again...sigh.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Here is something bad that we used to do to help our eyes while working on the big slash burns. We'd wear swim goggles. That way, (we were young and stupid) you could stay in the smoke a lot longer because your eyes weren't getting smoky. Eventually, the goggles fogged up and one would have to get into fresher air.

Lol!
I'ma stay away from that idea!

 

[Ron from BC]

My wife is patiently (maybe not) waiting for her Pedego Interceptor which is due to arrive tomorrow or Friday and we too, on southern Vancouver Island, are in the haze of smoke. The forecast is looking better towards the weekend.

 

[Cowlitz]

I have also seen a Throw Rocks at The Smoke And Make It Go Away campaign. Then there is a Send It Back program. You are supposed to put fans outside and point them north to send the smoke back to Canada.

Hey, we are stuck so we might as well laugh, and then cough.

 

[jazz]

Yeah we've been dealing with it in Spokane for a couple of weeks now at least, mainly due to all the wildfires up in Canada.

For a few days the air quality was in the worst hazardous level which basically meant don't go outside at all. It's a little better now but still moderately bad. Looking forward to getting back out on my bike!