"Dear Valley,

Two days ago, robbers broke into The Farm Stand property at night and stole a brand new, $3000 inverter generator that had just been delivered the same day! Jim had saved up to invest in a reliable, quiet(er) generator to be able to keep serving the community in these crazy times like the outage we are about to go through.

Please, keep your eyes out for someone trying to sell a Power horse 7500 W inverter generator (picture below)! Whoever did it must have known it was there, as they didn't go into the store but straight into the courtyard where it was stored. I hate to think of this. Any info would be much appreciated, please relay to Jim at (415)497-9496.

Thank you!"

- Geneviève Le Goff

Here is the updated PG&E power outage map. They've taken Olema off the map for now. At the top of the map is the wind forecast for Point Reyes Station. WindAlert is predicting the wind begins around 11pm tonight.

Outage map:
https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.c...

WindAlert:
https://windalert.com/map#38.0...

Here is the current PG&E PSPS planned outages map set to happen on Sunday at 6pm for Marin. Check here for updates:
https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.c...

Not that anyone wants to hear this, but it is another weekend with extreme fire conditions. Be prepared. Have your go bag packed. Sign up for Nixle alerts. Let's hope it passes without incident.

Via Daniel Swain: "This is the fire weather forecast I was hoping wouldn't come to pass, given all that has already transpired in 2020: Very strong offshore winds, coupled w/exceptionally low humidity & record-dry vegetation, will bring extremely critical wildfire risk Sun/Mon. 1/3 "

Also: "Confidence increases regarding a significant offshore flow event late in the weekend - not just strong winds, but the very dry airmass with it. Comparing offshore gradients SFO-WMC.
2017 Wine Country Fires -17.8mb
2019 Kincade -16.3mb
2020 Model Fcst Sunday night -18 -20mb"

Swain:
https://twitter.com/Weather_We...

PSUWeatherman:
https://twitter.com/psuweather...

Sign up for Nixle:
https://local.nixle.com/county...

Via Richard Dillman: "Lost German shepherd - Several of us in the Paradise Ranch Estates neighborhood in Inverness have spotted a large German shepherd in the area who seems to be lost. He's been seen on Sunnyside, Behr Lane and Drakes View Drive. No collar, sometimes whimpering. He seems to have gotten separated from his people. If anyone is looking for him a search of our neighborhood would be a good place to start."

"The new Ballot Drop Box was installed late this afternoon in Pt Reyes Station after concerns about the original one shared with Health and Human Services arose. The HHS Box, as you can see in one photo, has been taped shut and has a sign pointing to the Official Ballot Drop Box next to the entrance to the HHS Building.

Again, any of you who deposited your ballot into the HHS box, please be assured the County Election Officials did pick up your ballot and take it to the Registrar's Office to be counted. It is taking about a week for them to tell us our ballots have arrived due to the extraordinary number of ballots they have received, far in excess of normal this early in the election cycle. I have had lots of people tell me they deposited their ballots in the HHS box and have been notified by the Registrar's office that their ballot has been received."

- Cathleen Dorinson

If you see any voting issues, you can report them to: https://seesay2020.com/

Info about seesay2020: https://thedemlabs.org/2020/09...

A response from the Marin County Government about the ballot box in Point Reyes Station: "Hi, everyone: Thanks for voicing your concern about the security of Marin County Elections Department's official ballot drop boxes. We want to assure you that our ballot drop boxes are more secure that described in the original post. Ballot Drop Boxes are constructed similarly to those used by USPS, FedEx and UPS. Ballot Drop Boxes are bolted on the inside into concrete or secured to an immovable object using industrial strength hardware. The opening is narrow and designed in a way that prevents tampering or retrieval of envelopes.

Ballots are collected on a regular schedule multiple times a week by deputized employees of the County Elections Department working in teams of two. Each Ballot Drop Box is inspected by the pick-up team for damage or evidence of tampering. Local law enforcement agencies have been notified of the locations so they can monitor Ballot Drop Boxes daily while on patrol. At this time, we have not seen any evidence of Ballot Drop Box tampering in PRS.

However, if you notice anything usual about the ballot drop box, please report it to Marin County Sheriff's Office or Marin County Elections Department. We have a detailed FAQ about our ballot drop boxes online: https://www.marincounty.org/.....

Thank you for being so engaged in this year's election. And remember: You can track the status of your ballot online: https://california.ballottrax...."

An unusual story that someone in PR said they witnessed. Did anyone else see this happening?

"This evening a man who said he's a lawyer and a member of the American Independence party was taking photos of the election box by HHS in Point Reyes, It was 7:15pm or so and it was dark so he had a large flashlight with him he used while taking photos of that box from every angle possible.

He gave me a name that doesn't come up on Google and said the box was vulnerable to vandalism and the votes inside it could be easily destroyed by fire or even a milkshake. He also said it wasn't bolted down securely so the whole box could be taken away."

October 2020 in Point Reyes station. (Thx WS)

"Someone's boat slipped off its anchor (in Tomales Bay by Inverness) and floated toward the pier just north of the Inverness yacht club's pier. My husband and our neighbors got to it before it crashed and tied it to the pier. A Park Service boat seemed to be looking for it but stopped short of where it's tied up. Tried to call them but couldn't get through to tell them what happened and where the boat is. Hopefully the owners will see it." (Thx AM)

"Power back on in the SG Valley. According to a neighbor, it was a Trump metallic helium balloon tangled in the wires by the SG Presbyterian church and a PGE truck was dispatched to remove Trump and restore power to the people. Seriously it was a Trump balloon." (Thx RC and JF)

On crowded weekends like this, unfortunately, there are lots of emergencies and lots of sirens. WMF doesn't post them all on Facebook, but I do try and tweet them out on the WMF Twitter feed. So if there are sirens and you're wondering why, best to check either the WMF Twitter feed or the WMF web site (where the twitter feed is also).

Those recent sirens are an accident in Marshall:
https://twitter.com/WestMarinF...

WMF Web site:
http://www.thewestmarinfeed.co...

You can also download the PulsePoint app which will give you the same information in real time.

Spotted this week on Tomales Bay. Either it is the West Marin version of the Loch Ness monster or people in a small boat who took it upon themselves to tow in a large water hazard.

The #woodwardfire flare up at sunset from Limantour Rd. Marin County Fire is aware of it. It is within the perimeter and the fire is still 100% contained. (Thx HRM)

Via KWMR: "A large plume of white smoke is visible originating from within the Woodward fire area. Marin County fire says they are aware of it."

Small road side vegetation fire in Point Reyes Station. Fire crews say they have it out now.

People reporting smoke in Point Reyes and there is a fire notification on pulse. No further news at this time.

"Yesterday's #fireWeatherWatch has been upgraded to a #redFlagWarning and now includes the addition of the North Bay Valleys and the East Bay Valleys. Strong offshore winds will be gusty, especially at higher elevations with dry conditions prevalent from Wed. AM thru Fri AM."

LINK: https://twitter.com/nwsbayarea...

News from the Point Reyes Light this week:

Relief on the horizon for dramatically salty Point Reyes water:
"The district is looking to build a second well on the Gallagher Ranch, so even less water is needed from the Coast Guard wells. The district board raised rates in 2016 to help pay for its construction, and after boring three test wells that didn't pump enough water, crews found a productive location on the pasture."
LINK: https://www.ptreyeslight.com/a...

Park hopes for new loops on ranch roads:
"The proposed trail changes pertain to both the seashore and the northern district of G.G.N.R.A. The first is to use an old road grade to connect Pierce Point Road, which extends north across the peninsula, to L Ranch Road, thereby facilitating access between Tomales Point and Marshall Beach. The short, roughly mile-long road creates the opportunity for a new loop."
LINK: https://www.ptreyeslight.com/a...

Inverness and Bolinas step up water restrictions, warn of rationing:
"IPUD, which uses water from streams and creeks that descend from the Inverness Ridge, has particularly limited storage capacity: its tanks turn over the water they contain every three days."
LINK: https://www.ptreyeslight.com/a...

This video was shot by a dash cam two weeks ago on the PR/Petaluma Rd. I drove this road the other day and there were trucks everywhere and lots of cars driving very fast. Please drive safe everyone. (Thx CC)

LINK: https://twitter.com/westmarinf...

Via PRNPS: "The #WoodwardFire is 100% contained but Warning sign STILL Red exclamation mark symbol BURNING No entry. Please continue to respect area closures to keep yourself and first responders safe.:

VIdeo of fire here:
https://twitter.com/PointReyes...

Closures here: https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn...

Medical emergency at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes. Unclear what it is.

This cool little site from Vimeo lets you look out someone else's window for a little while. Look hard enough, and you might find one in Inverness, CA. https://www.window-swap.com/wi...

Unfortunate. "Rain chances previously forecast from late today through Saturday across the Bay Area have all but vanished. However, mostly cloudy sky conditions and cooler temperatures will prevail today through Saturday."

LINK: https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea...

People asking about the helicopter in Bolinas: "CHP H-30 just assisted Marin County Fire with an overturned boat off the coast of Bolinas. All parties are accounted for and were rescued by Marin County Fire watercraft. Luckily none of the occupants were injured." (thx LW)

LINK: https://www.facebook.com/CHPGo...

Car rolled over on PR/Petaluma Rd. No word on injuries. Please slow down. Please don't text and drive.

"A pattern change possible by mid-October, Stay tuned." 🙏

LINK: https://twitter.com/NWSSacrame...

It is critical to help conserve water in Inverness. Thank you.

The community in Seahaven in Inverness got together and pitched in to buy two PurpleAir sensors. So now we have air quality sensors at Chicken Ranch Beach and further up the hill on Via De La Vista. Thank you ER and FC or hosting them!

PurpleAir link:
https://www.purpleair.com/map?...

Understanding the sensor numbers:
https://thebolditalic.com/unde...

Our hearts are broken for Todd Shoberg's family and friends. From his partner Kira: "Yesterday (9/28/2020) our world was shattered completely to the ground without any comprehensible way of bringing it back up. Todd Shoberg was involved in a head-on collision in West Marin and lost his life. Todd is survived by his partner Kira + his two daughters Charlie (2) + Ashlyn (8). In addition to being a loving partner + father, Todd was an incredible chef. Through his love of food + local agriculture, he was able to provide for his family as their main source of income." Here is a link if you wish to support his family:

GoFundMe Page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-...

MarinIJ Story:
https://www.marinij.com/2020/0...

A rough day today between the fires and the car accident. Here is sunset in Point Reyes. Be safe. Be loving. Life is short, (Thx SC)

"One driver was killed and another was injured in a head-on collision involving a big rig in West Marin on Monday, the California Highway Patrol said. The crash was reported around 9:10 a.m. on Point Reyes-Petaluma Road just west of Novato Boulevard, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

The driver of the station wagon was westbound when the vehicle drifted for unknown reasons into the eastbound lane and struck the truck head-on, Barclay said. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene."

Via CHP Marin: "It seems that a few people on here have formed the opinion that this crash was caused by the big rig. In this situation, the station wagon that was traveling west on Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road drifted over the center line and into the opposing lane of traffic where it struck the truck head on. We are speaking with a couple of witnesses that saw the station wagon prior to the crash and are providing more information for our investigation.

There is also a thread about the trucks impeding traffic as the traverse the back roads through Marin. We have handled numerous traffic complaints regarding these trucks, from going too fast to going too slow. If you have specific traffic complaints, please feel free to contact our office at (415)924-1100 so we know what's going on. We can't be everywhere at once, and we do enforcement along the entire Marin coast line, so letting us know of a specific place where there is an issue will help us conduct "targeted enforcement." We also bring the traffic complaints to the attention of the delivery coordinators on the jobs that they are driving to so that they can speak with their people.

Slow trucks are required to pull over to allow traffic to pass once there are 5 or more vehicles behind them, HOWEVER, only when it is safe for them to do so. Drivers are quick to judge when and where a truck should pull over, but there are more factors to worry about in a fully loaded gravel truck than in a normal vehicle. The truck needs enough space to slow down on the roadway, not the shoulder, and they need to be sure the shoulder can actually support their weight. Areas around the reservoir are great for that, but a lot of the areas east of that have very few, if any places to pull over. If they can't safely pull over somewhere it means everyone behind them needs to be patient until it's possible for them to allow everyone to pass. We've been stuck behind them as well, so we get the frustration, but we'd rather be caught in that delay than have a truck roll off the hill because they pulled onto a soft shoulder or ended up not being able to stop in time on a gravel shoulder."

FULL STORY: https://www.marinij.com/2020/0...

SFD Construction is scheduled until Fall 2021:
https://highways.dot.gov/feder...

Via KWMR "Point Reyes Petaluma Road at the Cheese Factory closed both directions due to a traffic collision. Closures at Nicasio Valley Rd, and Novato Blvd."

Head on car v semi truck accident on PR Petaluma Rd. Might be a major injury requiring airlifting a patient out. Expect delays.

For those of you that heard the loud crash and sirens last night, it looked like a pickup truck missed the curve on SFD by Bear Valley Rd./white house pool and went into the ditch. Sounds like no one was injured.