Base Camp

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Last guests checked out, time to go hiking. Tom opens the gate at noon and they're off. Not taking even a single rest, five hours later Kobae and Tom are on top of Hurrah with only two hours to get back before dark. Not going to happen. Once Kobae found a place to settle in for the night Tom covers him up to keep him warm and hikes back to Base Camp for the truck and return him to his home.

Lockhart Basin

With all the things that can happen to someone out here, the only thing Tom has ever felt uncomfortable with is Lockhart Basin. The poor excuse for a road that goes to the Needles District and he does three or four water drops for hikers of the Hayduke and Discovery trails. On Monday Tom visited it for the first time this year and found a huge flood had taken out all the difficult parts in Lockhart Canyon and it's a nice trail now. Things change all the time so Tom enjoys it while he can.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Hanging Out With Who's Up and What's Up

Young Side-blotched lizards hunting on the side walk. A Carpenter bee pulls nectar from flowers of the Desert Willow. What's Up male Side-blotched lizard (shedding) that runs the front porch. Who's Up, female Side-blotched lizard that beats What's Up to the flies nine out of ten times. House sparrows, White Crowned sparrows, Black Headed Cow birds, and White Tailed Antelope squirrels. White Tailed Antelope squirrel taking Kobae leftovers. What's Up, Who's Up, and Kobae. What's Up is none too happy Who's Up is beating him to all the flies so he nips her a couple times and does some push ups to show her he's boss, then comes to Tom, gives him the evil eye and a few push ups to let Tom know he's the one who gets the flies. A small fly lands behind Who's Up and in her hurry to get the fly also gets a piece of cucumber which she has trouble extracting from her mouth without losing the fly. Once doing so, a few celebratory push ups. What's Up is keeping track of a fly airborne. When it lands What's Up stares at it as a good spotter does, then looks to Tom to make sure he saw the spot. He did and a few seconds later there is contact. Tom places a fly between Who's Up and What's Up and the result is the usual. Bugs, the rabbit joins them.