I reach a flat area on Manzanita Point Road and see smoke not far away; looks like a brush fire in Henry Coe State Park.
Now I know what those airplanes were doing: carrying water to douse the flames. I wonder if the area around Frog Lake is on fire, where I camped my first night out in this park six or seven years ago.
Just before I get back to the Visitor Centre, I come around a bend and find the first fire engine to arrive is heading straight toward me on narrow Manzanita Point Road. I hear sirens not too far away, but this truck has its siren off, so I am startled when it suddenly appears. I quickly move off the road into the brush and up against the embankment as far as possible, which leaves just enough room for the fire engine to pass.
At the Visitor Centre, I chat extensively with a couple of Park Volunteers and Park visitors. We have plenty of time because us last few visitors are not allowed to leave the park for an hour or so while fire crews bring more equipment and firefighters up the narrow, winding road to the Park.
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