"We Should Have Known It Wasn't Going to be a Smooth Ride"
Agnes Montano
By Agnes Montano and Juan Mendez
Current Meher Mount caretakers Ellen Kwiatkowski and Eric Carlson didn’t have to ask twice. When they suggested we fill in for them and care for their sweet dog Oday while they were away winterizing their Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield, WI, we immediately said, “Yes.”
A RESIDENT SQUIRREL is part of the welcoming committee when Agnes Montano and Juan Mendez arrive at Meher Mount to be temporary caretakers on October 31, 2019. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
To provide respite to the Manager/Caretakers and contribute to the number of volunteers that keep Meher Mount operating as a universal spiritual center dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba has been on our agenda since we reconnected with the Meher Mount earlier in 2019.
We were excited to stay at Meher Mount, a place we have felt a special connection to since we first visited in 2005.
There’s an energy here unlike any other, and Meher Baba’s divine Presence is felt everywhere. We were also aware of the daily chores that needed to be performed, especially on days when Meher Mount is open to visitors. We were looking forward to the work that was ahead.
We Should Have Known It Wasn’t Going to be Smooth Ride
SUNSET at Meher Mount looking toward Baba’s Tree and Avatar’s Point. The smoke from the nearby Maria Fire contributes to the beauty. (Photo: Juan Mendez, November 2, 2019)
The plan was for former Interim Caretaker Cassandra Bramucci to cover the first week of Ellen’s and Eric’s leave, and we would take over on October 30th for another seven days.
We should have known it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride when, on the day we were set to drive up to Meher Mount from Oceanside (about 180 miles south of Ojai), we received a message from Cassandra advising us against driving up that day due to strong Santa Ana winds.
That day, October 30, 2019, the Easy Fire erupted in Simi Valley (between Oceanside and Ojai) while the Getty Fire raged on in Los Angeles. Road closures abounded. Prudence reigned, and we decided to postpone the trip that day.
Clear skies, no fire in sight and mild winds were the order of the day when we arrived at Meher Mount on Thursday, October 31, 2019. The only item pending on the hand off from Cassandra was a HVAC repairman coming that afternoon to check on the heater that wasn’t working — particularly important because it was going to be a cold night.
“I needed that peace….”
THE NATURAL BEAUTY and the rhythm of nature are part of the tranquility visitors experience at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez, November 3, 2019)
The repairman came promptly at 1:00 p.m. and determined the problem was that the heater needed a filter replacement. After filling out the paperwork for the service call, he asked “What is this place?” We told him about Meher Baba, His universal message, and how He sanctified Meher Mount when He visited in 1956 and sat under the tree we now call Baba’s Tree.
During the conversation, he kept interrupting to say Meher Baba’s name. “Is this how you say it?” he asked several times. He took a brochure with Meher Baba’s Universal Message and another about Meher Mount. We encouraged him to go out to Avatar’s Point.
He came back about 15 minutes later. He had a big smile on his face. When asked if he’d enjoyed the view. His eyes filled with tears. “Thank you,” he said, “I needed that peace; it’s been a rough week. I’m a Christian, but it’s always good to keep an open mind.” And with that he went back to his van and left.
Meher Baba Shakes Things Up
AGNES MONTANO at the top of the meadow to Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount. “That’s a shovel on her right hand, a true lady always carries one,” Juan Mendez amusingly posted on Facebook. (Photo: Juan Mendez, November 2019)
Agnes decided she wanted to feel that peace, too, so she walked out to Baba’s Tree, and that’s when Meher Baba decided to shake things up for us a bit.
While at Baba’s Tree, Agnes’ cell phone rang. It was her sister in New Orleans frantically asking her to call 9-1-1 because our niece, who is a student in Los Angeles, needed help. After a number of calls back and forth to assess the situation, Agnes headed out to Los Angeles — about 75 miles south of Ojai — retracing part of the journey we had made earlier that day.
Agnes repeated Meher Baba’s name all through the two hours it took her to drive Los Angeles during rush hour traffic. By His grace, the situation turned out to be a false alarm. But by then it was dark, and we agreed it was better for Agnes to stay the night in the city than to return to Meher Mount.
The Maria Fire Erupts
SMOKE from the Maria Fire south of Meher Mount as seen from Avatar’s Point on Friday, November 1, 2019. The fire broke out around 6:00 p.m. the previous night, Halloween, October 31, 2019. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
At 10:00 pm we received a text message from Margaret Magnus that no caretaker of Meher Mount, especially temporary ones, should ever get: “There’s a fire south of Hwy 126 between Santa Paula and Somis. Wind blowing it west. You probably can see the flames from Avatar’s Point.”
THE MARIA FIRE in relationship to Meher Mount. It started on South Mountain and moved west to the Pacific Ocean. It never crossed Highway 126 to the north. The flames could be seen from Meher Mount. (Google Maps, screen capture November 1, 2019)
So, now there’s a fire that can potentially become a serious threat to Meher Mount. One of us is alone with Oday, the caretaker’s dog, and with no means of transportation in case we need to evacuate. The fire is only 17 miles away, and the flames are clearly visible from the Visitor Center/Caretaker Quarters.
Fortunately Eric Carlson’s truck is parked in the Workshop, and the keys are available. Juan wants Agnes to stay in Los Angeles, but that’s not an option for her. She drives back 75 miles, once again, chanting Meher Baba’s name. By the time she returns to Meher Mount at 12:30 a.m., the sky is illuminated with the glow of a garland of orange flames over the mountain ridge in Santa Paula.
We stay awake all night monitoring the Maria Fire and praying for the winds to die down. The thought of another fire coming to Meher Mount weighs down heavy in our hearts. (There have been two fires that burned at Meher Mount, the 1985 New Life Fire and the 2017 Thomas Fire.) We keep a close eye on the fire as we go about our chores on Friday, November 1, 2019.
THE VENTURA COUNTY Fire Department drops fire retardant on the Maria Fire south of Meher Mount as seen from Baba’s Path. The city of Santa Paula is in the foreground. (Photo: Juan Mendez, November 1, 2019)
There’s a constant flow of air tankers and helicopters flying over Meher Mount to make water and fire retardant drops on the flames. At times it seems the fire is under control, and then it flares up. It’s not until 4:00 pm that the flames are no longer visible from Meher Mount, although the official report is that the fire isn’t contained yet. By nightfall the intense orange glow over the horizon has turned into a weak flicker. We are finally able to breathe.
A Roller Coaster of Emotions
Meher Baba put us through a roller coaster of emotions only He could orchestrate — excitement, anguish, and fright all in the blink of an eye. He reminded us that He gives to all who come to Meher Mount the experiences that each individual’s heart needs to swim in the ocean of His love.
Some of us spend a lifetime trying to forge our path not realizing that all we are doing is hopelessly going against the current, like those that get caught in a rip current. Do you fight it or surrender and let the current carry you to a spot where you can swim to safety?
We were caught in Meher Baba’s rip current the moment we arrived at Meher Mount. He showed us, once more, that He’s always with us putting all the pieces in play so we can surrender to Him. Then anguish and despair turn into laughter as we see how He will play us to the end.
AVATAR MEHER BABA photographed by the Los Angeles Times during an interview published on August 1, 1956 — the day before He visited Meher Mount.
EDITOR’S NOTES
The Maria Fire started just after 6:00 p.m. on Halloween, October 31, 2019, on the upper ridge of South Mountain between Santa Paula and Somis, a ranching and farming community.
As of November 5, 2019, the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection (CalFire) reported that the Maria Fire was 95% contained, had burned 9,999 acres, and had destroyed four structures. The cause is still under investigation.
In a twist of events. fire fighting efforts were hampered by illegal drones apparently trying to photograph or video the fire scene. At 3:19 a.m., the night the fire started, a Ventura County Fire Department helicopter pilot radioed that a drone had been spotted. Air operations were immediately stopped to prevent an aerial collision. Another drone was sighted at 4:05 a.m.
“While unmanned aerial vehicles are small, drones can wreak incredible havoc. A collision with a wing, engine or any part of a larger aircraft can cause sever damage,” according to the Los Angeles Times, “Illegal drones ground water-dropping helicopters at critical moment in Maria fire battle.”
In 2015, the California State Legislature passed a bill that allowed firefighters to destroy drones that impeded their efforts and imposed penalties for drone operators who interfered with firefighters.
AN AIR TANKER on its way to drop water over the Maria Fire - about 17 miles from Meher Mount. The building in the foreground is the Workshop. (Photo: Anges Montano, November 1, 2019)
Santa Ana winds are dry and warm winds from the Great Basin, which includes parts of Nevada and Utah. They start in the Great Basin’s inland deserts, northeast of Southern California, and flow downward turning toward the Pacific Ocean.
The winds, which are pushed toward Southern California by high pressure systems, actually start off as cool winds. As they head downslope, they get both warmer (air heats up as it descends) and drier, according John Donovan, “What Are Santa Ana Winds?", on the website How Stuff Works.
The Santa Ana winds occur during the driest part of the year and can gust from 45 to 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service. They can interfere with flight operations, overturn high-profile vehicles on freeways, blow down tree limbs, and cause rough seas for mariners in the inner waters off the coast of Southern California. They can exacerbate wildfires by quickly spreading embers beyond the fire line.
Santa Ana winds can also bring exceptionally hot weather, even during the autumn and winter months. Under these circumstances of high winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, the risk of wildfires starting and spreading is the greatest.
The name Santa Ana winds is derived from the Santa Ana canyon through which the winds flow into Southern California.