Photos? Not yet. Talent? Let me tell you about talent...
So finally RJ has thrown me the reins of the blog for a while. He's working at the Happy Isles Nature Center (HINC) all day. Since the HINC is on the far side of Yosemite Valley from the volunteer computer, I was appointed blogger-for-the-day. Let me try to catch you up on what's happening here.
This weekend I had a great climbing lesson. Just me and the instructor for 7 hours. We covered many moderately advanced techniques, including gear placement, escaping a belay, aid climbing, and leading. I donated a square inch or two of skin to the granite, but blood loss was kept to a minimum. Who knew that rock was so abrasive?
Yesterday RJ and I borrowed the raft of two of our co-worker/volunteer friends, Susan and Jerry. We launched the SS Yosemite at Stoneman Bridge (just a short walk from our campsite) and floated along the Merced River for about a mile and a half. The view of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome were spectacular. It was especially nice to take in the sights from the refreshing coolness of the river. From the engineer's perspective: (95 degree air temperature) / (55 degree water) = (bliss factor of 0.95)
The other event of our days off (not counting doing laundry) was that we invited a few of our volunteer friends for dinner. John, Jerry, and Susan pretended to enjoy the grilled sausage and hash browns we served up. Actually, the food was at least edible, and given the setting, what's not to like?
Let me also catch you up on a few happenings from earlier last week. RJ and I had a number of bear encounters. It started when RJ saw a big one Tuesday night right outside the tent. He was reading in bed when he saw a big shadowy figure go by.
Then on Wednesday morning as I was running along a trail I encountered a group of about 6 people huddled together. One fellow said that a bear was in amongst their tents. I paused to ask the crowd whether the bear was eating natural food or whether it had stolen some human food. When they answered that the bear had swiped some human possessions, I ran toward the bear, ordering it to get lost - and it did. Fortunately, I was still about 30 feet away when it bolted, so I didn't have to make a decision about how close I would get before I would be the one to get lost. Without looking back at the crowd, I continued on my run. I just hope they cleaned up the remnants of whatevert he bear had been munching on. As I plodded off, a female camper who had been trapped in her tent just a few feet from where the bear was eating said something like "You go, girl." I think she was glad to be able to exit her tent without a bear to deal with first thing in the morning.
Thursday morning brought some more bear activity. As I was biking to work, I saw a bear on the side of the river. He jumped in and swam to the opposite bank. After shaking off like a dog, he trotted off into the woods. Cool. I have pictures of the Esther Williams bear, but you'll have to wait for us to work out the technical challenges for full coverage. Stay tuned.
One final thing for today's entry, and this one will be of special interest to Mike Ende. As I was biking here, I spotted Engine 51 parked near Awhawnee Meadow. I knew that meant that they were preparing for a helicopter landing. I diverted my track toward the engine and asked the two firefighters what was happening. They said that they were waiting to land a bird from Modesto to take a patient from the Yosemite clinic to a "real" hospital. I snapped a few pictures and headed out. (Yes, Mike, we'll post one on the blog as soon as possible. Who needs pictures of swimming bears when you can have engine 51 against the backdrop of Half Dome?) A few minutes ago, while I was typing this blog entry I heard the helicopter pass over twice - once going to the LZ and then on its way out. Let's hope the patient does well.
Since it's just about time for work (Oh, the drudgery of slaving away in Yosemite!), I'll post this entry and bid you all a good day.
This weekend I had a great climbing lesson. Just me and the instructor for 7 hours. We covered many moderately advanced techniques, including gear placement, escaping a belay, aid climbing, and leading. I donated a square inch or two of skin to the granite, but blood loss was kept to a minimum. Who knew that rock was so abrasive?
Yesterday RJ and I borrowed the raft of two of our co-worker/volunteer friends, Susan and Jerry. We launched the SS Yosemite at Stoneman Bridge (just a short walk from our campsite) and floated along the Merced River for about a mile and a half. The view of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome were spectacular. It was especially nice to take in the sights from the refreshing coolness of the river. From the engineer's perspective: (95 degree air temperature) / (55 degree water) = (bliss factor of 0.95)
The other event of our days off (not counting doing laundry) was that we invited a few of our volunteer friends for dinner. John, Jerry, and Susan pretended to enjoy the grilled sausage and hash browns we served up. Actually, the food was at least edible, and given the setting, what's not to like?
Let me also catch you up on a few happenings from earlier last week. RJ and I had a number of bear encounters. It started when RJ saw a big one Tuesday night right outside the tent. He was reading in bed when he saw a big shadowy figure go by.
Then on Wednesday morning as I was running along a trail I encountered a group of about 6 people huddled together. One fellow said that a bear was in amongst their tents. I paused to ask the crowd whether the bear was eating natural food or whether it had stolen some human food. When they answered that the bear had swiped some human possessions, I ran toward the bear, ordering it to get lost - and it did. Fortunately, I was still about 30 feet away when it bolted, so I didn't have to make a decision about how close I would get before I would be the one to get lost. Without looking back at the crowd, I continued on my run. I just hope they cleaned up the remnants of whatevert he bear had been munching on. As I plodded off, a female camper who had been trapped in her tent just a few feet from where the bear was eating said something like "You go, girl." I think she was glad to be able to exit her tent without a bear to deal with first thing in the morning.
Thursday morning brought some more bear activity. As I was biking to work, I saw a bear on the side of the river. He jumped in and swam to the opposite bank. After shaking off like a dog, he trotted off into the woods. Cool. I have pictures of the Esther Williams bear, but you'll have to wait for us to work out the technical challenges for full coverage. Stay tuned.
One final thing for today's entry, and this one will be of special interest to Mike Ende. As I was biking here, I spotted Engine 51 parked near Awhawnee Meadow. I knew that meant that they were preparing for a helicopter landing. I diverted my track toward the engine and asked the two firefighters what was happening. They said that they were waiting to land a bird from Modesto to take a patient from the Yosemite clinic to a "real" hospital. I snapped a few pictures and headed out. (Yes, Mike, we'll post one on the blog as soon as possible. Who needs pictures of swimming bears when you can have engine 51 against the backdrop of Half Dome?) A few minutes ago, while I was typing this blog entry I heard the helicopter pass over twice - once going to the LZ and then on its way out. Let's hope the patient does well.
Since it's just about time for work (Oh, the drudgery of slaving away in Yosemite!), I'll post this entry and bid you all a good day.
posted by R.J. at 10:43 AM
2 Comments:
When you guys to describe a bear as "a big one", it must've been impressive. Glad to hear the ol' Ward is doing well, and I'm glad I was able to read about the adventures of such a beautiful piece of fire apparatus. Julie says the bear may have been more exciting for me if it were actually sitting in the engine. Anyway, thanks for thinking of me! Be safe, and have fun! - ME & JE
This is Paula - thanks for the comment, Mike. Actually, I guess I forgot to mention that the bear had applied to the fire department, but he was turned down when they realized that he would have left hair on the seat of E51. Better luck next time.
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