(no subject)
Home again, we saw a BILLION elk and came back unscathed from the Tule Elk Reserve.
About a dozen years ago I was driving an F350 Dually cross country back from Chicago. Every bloody day that truck offered a new way to break down and I was at wits end. A teenager I had taken with for this adventure was so fraught I put her onto a flight back to her family when in Denver. Evening find me as I'm driving through some desolate spot in Utah and see a warning sign about "Beware the Elk", my engine makes a horrendous terrifying clunk and now I'm broken down in the middle of a desert with MAN EATING ELK!... Seriously I was crazed and wrote a goodbye letter to Bill as I sat there in the dark for 2 hours in the summer heat, no sign of a cop in all that time. Off in the distance I see flashing lights, of course that must be aliens from another planet. (Why do they have lights on their ships that blink?) I throw the truck into neutral and let the truck coast down the slight incline to learn it is a AAA flat bed tow truck helping out another stranded motorist. He manages to add my truck to the back of the truck and brought us both to his very handy BROTHERS garage at Xam in the dark of night. This garage is handy that it is in back of his UNCLES motel. I use plastic thankful for such a benefit and call Bill. I'm SHOT, end of my rope and I start SOBBING about fearing the man eating elk. This man of my life, my best husband ever, he doesn't placate me with any soft noises, no this man he just boils over with laughter, he was laughing at ME!!!! You just see if I ever save him from elk!
Back to the a fore mentioned Pt Reyes adventure. Leah, Kathy, Shelby and I went in search of elk to find 3 of the 7 local herds all on the peaks of the trails. This is calving season and being on high allows the herd to surround the young and to give birth with the best vantage point to watch for predators. Leah mentioned how none of her acquaintances ever saw any of the Mountain Lions that are warned about along all the trails. "No one ever gets the opportunity for a second sighting" was my reply. As we entered to the left of the park was a herd resting, further into the walk at the base of the hills a second herd and at the rise about 2/3 of the way into the trail we approached slowly and were soon surrounded by a herd of 60-100 individuals. We ate our lunch watching them and they us. Other hikers approached and walked through. The danger of animals with young is always present.
We left to return starting at 5:31a.m. to miss the S.F. traffic on the north end. 5 restroom and fast food stops I was dropped off at 1:34p.m. where we missed out on the L.A. traffic. I am exhausted and sick to boot. The hiking was strenuous for me and dislodged some deep lung crud as well as the cool fog. Coughing and wailing meekly for attention the dog pack is giving me their support.
BooBoo however is not so forgiving she did NOT bray once for my return. Instead I have been met with THE LOOK. "Just look at who bothered to make an appearance" This morning as I gathered the gardening produce she didn't even come to beg at the gate. I am a horrible human being and the donkey will show me. UGH.
I'm sick like a kitten but the dished needed doing, the floors need sweeping and life continues.
About a dozen years ago I was driving an F350 Dually cross country back from Chicago. Every bloody day that truck offered a new way to break down and I was at wits end. A teenager I had taken with for this adventure was so fraught I put her onto a flight back to her family when in Denver. Evening find me as I'm driving through some desolate spot in Utah and see a warning sign about "Beware the Elk", my engine makes a horrendous terrifying clunk and now I'm broken down in the middle of a desert with MAN EATING ELK!... Seriously I was crazed and wrote a goodbye letter to Bill as I sat there in the dark for 2 hours in the summer heat, no sign of a cop in all that time. Off in the distance I see flashing lights, of course that must be aliens from another planet. (Why do they have lights on their ships that blink?) I throw the truck into neutral and let the truck coast down the slight incline to learn it is a AAA flat bed tow truck helping out another stranded motorist. He manages to add my truck to the back of the truck and brought us both to his very handy BROTHERS garage at Xam in the dark of night. This garage is handy that it is in back of his UNCLES motel. I use plastic thankful for such a benefit and call Bill. I'm SHOT, end of my rope and I start SOBBING about fearing the man eating elk. This man of my life, my best husband ever, he doesn't placate me with any soft noises, no this man he just boils over with laughter, he was laughing at ME!!!! You just see if I ever save him from elk!
Back to the a fore mentioned Pt Reyes adventure. Leah, Kathy, Shelby and I went in search of elk to find 3 of the 7 local herds all on the peaks of the trails. This is calving season and being on high allows the herd to surround the young and to give birth with the best vantage point to watch for predators. Leah mentioned how none of her acquaintances ever saw any of the Mountain Lions that are warned about along all the trails. "No one ever gets the opportunity for a second sighting" was my reply. As we entered to the left of the park was a herd resting, further into the walk at the base of the hills a second herd and at the rise about 2/3 of the way into the trail we approached slowly and were soon surrounded by a herd of 60-100 individuals. We ate our lunch watching them and they us. Other hikers approached and walked through. The danger of animals with young is always present.
We left to return starting at 5:31a.m. to miss the S.F. traffic on the north end. 5 restroom and fast food stops I was dropped off at 1:34p.m. where we missed out on the L.A. traffic. I am exhausted and sick to boot. The hiking was strenuous for me and dislodged some deep lung crud as well as the cool fog. Coughing and wailing meekly for attention the dog pack is giving me their support.
BooBoo however is not so forgiving she did NOT bray once for my return. Instead I have been met with THE LOOK. "Just look at who bothered to make an appearance" This morning as I gathered the gardening produce she didn't even come to beg at the gate. I am a horrible human being and the donkey will show me. UGH.
I'm sick like a kitten but the dished needed doing, the floors need sweeping and life continues.