Rare evening photos from inside a working western fire lookout tower

[DemoTex]

Rare night photos from inside an active western fire lookout tower. This is my home for almost five months a year. It is a 15X15 room-with-a-view, the floor of which is at exactly 6400-feet above sea level. My office (and computer from which I send all this great stuff) is far right, bed is behind the 1936 Osborne Fire-Finder, and the kitchen is to the far left. The lights are propane. All electrics are solar, unless I need - rarely - my little 2KW generator for backup.

[dionysus]

1. another gem Tex...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Great shots, my dear DemoTex!

It is a distinct privilege to see where you live and work for so much of the year.

I'm sure you must have days when you wonder why you're working so hard, but I have to tell you that I'm glad you're there. I feel as though those forests are safer with you watching...

[DemoTex]

8. Thanks dear Peg!

You make it easier for me. Always! Thanks.
Mac

[AllyCat]

3. That is awesome! Is that a railing outside the windows (as in "porch")?

Okay, not a porch, but a walkaround/balcony thing? When we were kids and, okay, I admit it, adults, we would climb one near Chetek, WI that was stamped CCC on it. It is abandoned by people, but somehow always mowed underneath and a pair of osprey made a nest on the top of it. The actual interior of the tower is locked, but there is a platform up there to sit on and enjoy the view.

This looks much nicer though!

Thanks for posting the photos and telling us a little about what you do!

[DemoTex]

6. We call it a "catwalk". And it is very important to fire spotting.

Often, if a smoke is faint, I have to move to the catwalk to see it. Or, once a fire is spotted (and grows), I'll move to the catwalk to help direct the fire crews to the fire (or spot weather for the crews). On a fine afternoon, the catwalk is a great place for reading (today, it was Faulkner's Wild Palms).

[luv_mykatz]

4. Breathtaking photos.

I so envy you...even though I am sure living up there is a huge amount of work. Thank you for watching over our forests.

[Suich]

5. Cozy!

[MADem]

7. Great pics--love the ceiling!!!

I thought Ace was the place or the helpful hardware man....is that your kitchen sink of sorts??

[DemoTex]

11. Kitchen designs by Mac-a-Roo!

I designed and built the whole thing.

[MADem]

40. It works great, too, I'm betting! nt

[ProfessionalLeftist]

9. I love all the wood. Cozy and rustic.

What's it like sleeping up there?

[DemoTex]

15. Sleeping? Up here?

I'm in the quietest, darkest place on earth. No TV. No traffic. All I have is my solar-powered stuff (computer, Sirius/XM, and the like). But, seriously, I do live well and large out here. I am 95% solar (three systems - two USFS and one of my own). The other 5% is my Honda generator (seldom used).
Right now? A nice red blend from Washington state, a little Cubano jazz, and lots of nice soft light (gas lights - thanks to you 47%ers!). Sleep will be real EZ 2nite!

mac

BTW: Sleep is in a sleeping bag - always. A cheap 20-degree Coleman ($20) is perfect, although I keep a -20 degree REI mummey bag in reserve.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

39. Heaven in a tower. Awesome. n/t

[ZenLefty]

10. Now *that* is a man cave!

Who's the grumpy looking guy in pic #2? You better do what he says, man. He looks like he's there to kick ass and chew bubble gum.

[DemoTex]

16. 10-4 good buddy!

He is one grumpy old fart. But the 25-something firefighters treat him like a young peer, not like the old bastid their granddad is. Amazing.

[Beartracks]

27. And I don't see any bubble gum in that photo!

So you better watch it!

I always love your posts, DemoTex. And like someone else posted upthread, I envy your views.



====================

[gateley]

12. Wow -- thanks for inviting us in, DemoTex!

Did you make your bed just for the photo op?

[DemoTex]

17. No, the bed is always made.

The sleepy-bag is the answer!

[RexDart]

13. Just spent 30 minutes on the Fire-finder.

History, check. Manual, check. Youtube video of how one is used? Check. That is an elegant design. Which explains why they're being manufactured again.

Thank you for the peek inside of your office.

[DemoTex]

19. Cool!

Links? Questions (I am an expert on the Osborne FF)?

[MADem]

41. There's a youtube on that firefinder thing? It piqued my interest, too! nt

[chollybocker]

14. Nice place.

It's like a penthouse studio, rising above the great American wilderness.

Always love your photos, DemoTex.

Also, woof.

[DemoTex]

18. Whew, I like THAT!

" .. penthouse studio, rising above the great American wilderness .."

As I often say, I am in the wilderness .. not government-act designated wilderness, but relative wilderness. To be out here is to understand the exigencies of a desert life - a true wilderness. Read Rueb Long.

Mac

[juajen]

20. Hi, DemoTex

Great photographs! I love your view and your home. Stupid of me to ask, I suppose, but are you in danger from a fire there? I assume one of your duties is to map any fire and follow its progress. I would sure like to know more about what you do, if it's alright to tell me.

[DemoTex]

25. We have evacuation plans for nearby fires

But even the relatively nearby Lava Fire (23,000 acres), was many acres away!


Big, but not as close as it looks! The Lava Fire

[Norrin Radd]

21. Cool. I'm always curious about the interiors of buildings that one doesn't

normally get to go into, all of the nooks and crannies. Thanks for the spectacular pics you've posted on DU of the view outside your windows.

[aquart]

22. I do not see the entrance to the spa bathroom.

This concerns me.

[DemoTex]

23. Trap door

Hidden and locked, but a valid concern.

[Zorra]

24. Thanks. Are you still spotting in the Bend area?

And how come you are running propane lights instead of electric lights off your solar battery bank?

I love Central and Eastern Oregon and C, and E. Washington. I'm from up north in WA a bit off 97, but live in the southwest now cuz i never want to see snow ever again.

Your posts/photos are awesome, but they always make me homesick.

[DemoTex]

32. Solar banks

The solar systems are fine for low-draw items. Daily items. Important items. USFS radios and telephone, on the
US solar system, my computer/Sirius-XM/ham radio on my solar system. Night lights and heat are - defacto - propane clients.

[Liberal_in_LA]

26. "bed is behind the 1936 Osborne Fire-Finder ???

[Beartracks]

28. Wait a sec - why is there a map on the ceiling?

Just noticed that.

=====================

[DemoTex]

33. Good observation!

I was going to mention that. It is a hinged drop-down map. Actually "maps" - both sides are different scales and different maps.

[OnyxCollie]

29. Hi DemoTex!

Nice place ya got there.

[itsrobert]

30. It looks like it would be more cost-effective

to outfit the tower with sensors and cameras systems accessible in a unified control room. Putting hundreds of people out in towers looks like an old fashion way of doing things.

[GReedDiamond]

34. Sometimes "old fashioned" is better than the options you suggest...

...DemoTex is over a mile high in the sky, I do not think it would take "hundreds" of people to see what he can see.

DemoTex is the "unified control room" guy.

IMO, humans are still better than "sensors and cameras."

Rock on, DemoTex!

[Summer Hathaway]

31. That is such a cool space!

Thanks for sharing it with us.

[SheilaT]

35. How do you get supplies in?

Like food. Where does your water come from?

How many hours are you required to be on duty? By which I really mean, when do you sleep?

[SoCalDem]

36. No pooch this time?

It looks clean & cozy

[xxqqqzme]

37. Thank you for sharing your space.

I have wondered what it would look like (having no personal reference). It looks most efficient and functional. Your pictures are always a welcomed treat when I see your posts.

[hlthe2b]

38. Incredible... but no smoochie without the poochie

Where is that big black gorgeous doggy, eh?



So, how often do you re-supply and what does that entail?

[Octafish]

42. I love the Smoke Detector...

...even if he's packed on a pound or two.

[MadrasT]

43. COOL.

Way, way cool.

Thanks for sharing this.

[DirkGently]

44. Always wondered what the inside looked like -- wow.

Just beautiful. Like the inside of a ship, with much better windows. Keep these great pics coming, please.

[kanda]

45. Awesome pics!

Thanks for sharing your home. Beautiful place. And thanks for helping take care of our beautiful Pacific Northwest.

[WillyT]

46. K & R !!!

[peacebird]

47. Fascinating! How do you get up there with your supplies? Would be a huckuva lot of steps....