So I'm not a meteorologist
RJ quite enjoys the fact that for some reason whenever he shows up in Yosemite, foul weather in never far away. His record is quite impressive - hail, rain, thunderstorms, floods, etc. How can I be expected to predict the RJ Effect?
I'll give you my record of events over the past few days. First, though, to follow up on the lost CCC worker: the poor fellow fell to his death from the north rim of the valley. He was found deceased - no hope of saving him after a 1600 foot drop.
Now for lighter news, in reverse order of occurrence -
Yesterday (Thursday 20 July 2006) we had a significant thunderstorm. Clouds starting gathering by late morning and by 2 pm it was rain quite heavily. Lots of thunder and lightning, which is somewhat uncommon here in the valley. I'm guessing about 1/2 inch fell here and much more in the high country. All of the waterfalls perked up a bit, which was nice since many are starting to dwindle to trickles as the snow at high elevation is disappearing. Last night we had a pizza and cards get-together. Two of our co-workers hosted the event, with most people bringing additional snacks, wine, etc. I retired early (big surprise there!) and RJ entertained the ladies with his card playing skills.
On Wednesday, I teamed up with a food service worker to climb a moderate, 3 pitch route called Munginella. The day was quite hot, but we were fortunate to find lots of shade as we climbed higher. Total height of the climb was probably 600 to 700 feet, including about 250 feet of approach hiking. I learned a few new things from Ben and had a ton of fun on the climb. After the climb, RJ and I joined 7 other volunteers for a trip to the Big City of Oakhurst. We haven't left the park since we arrived at the end of June, so the drive was a nice change of scenery. We bought a few groceries, including caffeine free Diet Pepsi and Fruity Pebbles, then ate at an Indian casino. RJ donated a dollar to the tribe after our meal in a 2 cent slot machine.
Tuesday gave us another dump of rain in the late afternoon. Fortunately, RJ and I had completed a few fun things earlier in the day, so we didn't mind too much. First, we climbed a short, moderate route at the Church Bowl climbing area. I stretched my skill level a bit, but I got up the climb reasonably well. Only a small amount of skin left on the rocks. After our exercise, we visited the Lodge cafeteria for a nice lunch. We got back to our campsite in time to batten down the hatches on all of the tents of the Yosemite Association volunteers before the rain hit.
That should catch us up on the main events of the past few days. Today RJ and I are working together for the first time this month. We running the membership/information booth on the walking mall in the morning, then we'll answer questions (and perhaps duck out of the rain) at the Yurt in the afternoon.
Happiness to all. Keep the comments flowing. Paula
I'll give you my record of events over the past few days. First, though, to follow up on the lost CCC worker: the poor fellow fell to his death from the north rim of the valley. He was found deceased - no hope of saving him after a 1600 foot drop.
Now for lighter news, in reverse order of occurrence -
Yesterday (Thursday 20 July 2006) we had a significant thunderstorm. Clouds starting gathering by late morning and by 2 pm it was rain quite heavily. Lots of thunder and lightning, which is somewhat uncommon here in the valley. I'm guessing about 1/2 inch fell here and much more in the high country. All of the waterfalls perked up a bit, which was nice since many are starting to dwindle to trickles as the snow at high elevation is disappearing. Last night we had a pizza and cards get-together. Two of our co-workers hosted the event, with most people bringing additional snacks, wine, etc. I retired early (big surprise there!) and RJ entertained the ladies with his card playing skills.
On Wednesday, I teamed up with a food service worker to climb a moderate, 3 pitch route called Munginella. The day was quite hot, but we were fortunate to find lots of shade as we climbed higher. Total height of the climb was probably 600 to 700 feet, including about 250 feet of approach hiking. I learned a few new things from Ben and had a ton of fun on the climb. After the climb, RJ and I joined 7 other volunteers for a trip to the Big City of Oakhurst. We haven't left the park since we arrived at the end of June, so the drive was a nice change of scenery. We bought a few groceries, including caffeine free Diet Pepsi and Fruity Pebbles, then ate at an Indian casino. RJ donated a dollar to the tribe after our meal in a 2 cent slot machine.
Tuesday gave us another dump of rain in the late afternoon. Fortunately, RJ and I had completed a few fun things earlier in the day, so we didn't mind too much. First, we climbed a short, moderate route at the Church Bowl climbing area. I stretched my skill level a bit, but I got up the climb reasonably well. Only a small amount of skin left on the rocks. After our exercise, we visited the Lodge cafeteria for a nice lunch. We got back to our campsite in time to batten down the hatches on all of the tents of the Yosemite Association volunteers before the rain hit.
That should catch us up on the main events of the past few days. Today RJ and I are working together for the first time this month. We running the membership/information booth on the walking mall in the morning, then we'll answer questions (and perhaps duck out of the rain) at the Yurt in the afternoon.
Happiness to all. Keep the comments flowing. Paula
posted by R.J. at 11:40 AM
3 Comments:
Yous guys are marvelous!!! Sounds
like you are having quite the time
of your life!! Thanks for posting
all the news. It makes it seem like
you're not too far away!!
P&LMc
We will wave to you both August 8th as we fly over your heads to CA. Great to see your site and hear of the adventures. Who said living vicariously is no fun?
Best,
Kate and Paul
Sounds like lots of fun and adventure. The trip into "town" sounds like it was a nice break, and a little civilization is a good thing every now and again. All the climbing sounds very impressive. This "RJ Effect" sounds omminous. Keep it away from the Ward... ;-)
Have fun and stay safe!!
- Mike E.
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