Nostr notes by Eric Phelps

Well, I took a couple friends out to one of my favorite areas. ...

2026-03-14T23:07:17Z

Well, I took a couple friends out to one of my favorite areas. 4.5 miles for them, 6 miles for me. Unfortunately that's about the limit with my knee. Looks like no long hikes this year 😞.

Loaned one of them an extra pair of snake gaiters and crampons. He was very impressed how he could walk up and down otherwise dangerous slopes. And the guy without snake gaiters was happy to be in the rear as the two of us cleared paths through the rocks.

The advantage of a phone is that it can download the almanac over ...

2026-03-14T17:16:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…gvgx
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The advantage of a phone is that it can download the almanac over the network to allow for very fast positioning. Can your offline GPS be updated from your home computer in a similar way to get the almanac and ephemeris?

I wonder if constantly moving and walking around hills that block ...

2026-03-14T15:05:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…3x3e
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I wonder if constantly moving and walking around hills that block half the sky makes it take longer.

There's an awful lot I don't know about GPS.

Probably old enough it lost the almanac and ephemeris. It can ...

2026-03-14T14:51:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…y3p3
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Probably old enough it lost the almanac and ephemeris. It can take a long time to recover from that.

Remembering a quote from my old jump master Al Zeitz talking ...

2026-02-16T01:46:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…j4c6
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Remembering a quote from my old jump master Al Zeitz talking about people who'd stay home on cloudy days because they weren't sure they could go skydiving: "You can't jump if you're not at the dropzone".

You can't fish if you aren't there with a rod. You have to show up.

Of course, as someone who goes into the lab even when they don't think there will be a breakthrough, I kind of figured you'd internalized this long ago.

And the ridges on the ground mirroring the building! I can't ...

2026-01-31T18:24:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…0hgn
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And the ridges on the ground mirroring the building! I can't help but:
* Just be amazed.
* Try to visualize how the wind and eddies moved to create this.

That's a freeway bridge in the background? I love how ...

2026-01-19T01:26:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…xh6u
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That's a freeway bridge in the background? I love how beautiful spots like these are right there to enjoy – for anyone who doesn't just zoom by.

It's a different kind of pretty from your usual spots. But ...

2026-01-11T17:07:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…aeuy
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It's a different kind of pretty from your usual spots. But now that you've had both, I'm guessing it's hard to give up either one.

The worse it is, the more likely you'll have the whole place ...

2025-11-29T03:13:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…lccf
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The worse it is, the more likely you'll have the whole place to yourself. So there's that.

Not having a rod in one hand must've thrown your balance off ...

2025-11-23T04:17:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…jwy6
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Not having a rod in one hand must've thrown your balance off 😉.

16 miles today and the pictures don't do it justice. The ...

2025-11-23T04:06:56Z

16 miles today and the pictures don't do it justice. The colors were so intense I found myself taking pictures every 50 feet. The low sun angle really makes the colors pop!
It was my "normal" creeks/river/lake walk, but I added in some bushwhacking and rock hopping. If I find myself on any trail wider than 1 foot, I'm highly likely to "turn left" and see what happens. Things got interesting for a bit, but I didn't get into any trouble.

More pics/movie:
https://www.relive.com/view/v26Mzr3NLEq
#hiking

The core problem is that "cross-country" isn't on the ...

2025-11-18T11:49:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…0ls3
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The core problem is that "cross-country" isn't on the approved list of manly action verbs. There's "bushwhacking" and "scrambling", but there's no approved manly verb for the case of walking on uneven ground. You've just got to go with the closest verb available 😁.

I'm guessing there was legitimate bushwhacking on the climb up.

That does look like fun! It's the kind of place that makes ...

2025-11-18T03:44:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…ra4e
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That does look like fun! It's the kind of place that makes you want to poke around and discover things. You know, do things like bushwhack along the top just to see what's there 😉.

Funny thing happened. I hike with snake gaiters. And I had a ...

2025-11-16T05:54:59Z

Funny thing happened. I hike with snake gaiters. And I had a carabineer hanging on the right side of the one on the right. Somehow it slowly worked its way around my leg, then completely and totally latched both gaiters together while I was hiking. I went down hard. Took a fair bit of damage.

Managed to finish the 11 mile hike, the bleeding eventually stopped, and my limp is hardly noticeable. But the most important part: My wife has no idea. She just sees my pictures 😛.

#hiking

Wow, that really illustrates the "angle of repose". ...

2025-11-12T03:09:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…v6xp
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Wow, that really illustrates the "angle of repose". Really interesting!

Are you old enough to remember having to submit your website to ...

2025-11-08T14:55:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…mqe2
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Are you old enough to remember having to submit your website to Yahoo so it could be manually reviewed and added to their index? I guess we could have predicted what would happen when Yahoo's manual approach lost out to Google's automated approach.

Google could scale. Yahoo couldn't.

What now? Everyone keeps their own list of favorites and we organically share cool new sites in conversations? Like we do with movies, books, restaurants, and hiking trails?

?!?! How do you retrieve lost flies? I'd think something like ...

2025-10-14T02:16:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…r0lu
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?!?! How do you retrieve lost flies? I'd think something like that would be gone forever!

Do you mean lost in the water or misplaced at home?

"Rocky trail in dense forest" 😍… and then the bonus ...

2025-10-07T12:24:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…3r3h
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"Rocky trail in dense forest" 😍… and then the bonus gorgeous views!

Haha, my "normal day" is sitting in front of a computer ...

2025-10-06T03:02:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…jzgn
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Haha, my "normal day" is sitting in front of a computer and walking around the factory checking in on different projects.
Can't imagine what my life would be without my weekend time in nature.

Wow, calm enough to see the patterns of light dancing across the ...

2025-10-06T02:12:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…k3hw
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Wow, calm enough to see the patterns of light dancing across the bottom. Magic, isn't it?

Had a mandatory party on Saturday, so had to do a Sunday hike. ...

2025-10-06T01:48:26Z

Had a mandatory party on Saturday, so had to do a Sunday hike. Only did 9 miles due to time constraints. And when I'm pressed for time, I head for the worst places I can! No, you won't see them in the pictures. They're the places where you go off-trail, then go off from that. Places where things are so dense you can't move more than 10 feet without stopping to evaluate your next move. So. Much. Fun.

Pics are when I was in open spaces. Also fun!

#hiking

I've been visiting my "secret meadow" for the last 10 ...

2025-09-28T02:07:58Z

I've been visiting my "secret meadow" for the last 10 years, but it's an impassible swamp 🫤. The access to it is completely overgrown and close to impassable. 10 years ago after a multi-year drought, it was a meadow with usable deer trails… but not since then. Eventually I'll buy a pair of "hip waders" and go hike the whole thing. It's my white whale.

Meanwhile, I kept going and got in a nice walk following creeks and rivers. 13 miles with a modest 1200 feet of elevation gain.

#hiking

Well, it's not the views you have, but it's pretty ...

2025-09-21T16:17:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…v4s0
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Well, it's not the views you have, but it's pretty country once you get far enough upstream to escape the city.

If you keep looking at the world with fresh eyes, every day is an adventure!

Yay, I made it up the South Fork of the American River! It was 14 ...

2025-09-21T02:31:23Z

Yay, I made it up the South Fork of the American River! It was 14 miles of kayaking, but it should have been 16 because I got lost AGAIN. I mean, this time I paid attention to where my little launch inlet was, but my brain said "no way, it can't possibly be there" when I came back.

Didn't actually make it all the way to the Salmon Falls Bridge because the water got too shallow and too fast. Found a place to beach, then hiked the last 200 yards to get a picture of the bridge.

#kayaking

That's really gorgeous. I look at that and can't imagine ...

2025-09-20T11:56:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…jl4q
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That's really gorgeous. I look at that and can't imagine it any prettier… Until I really start imagining. That trail has to be awesome in all seasons!

But I really need to go further upstream!I was getting pushed ...

2025-09-07T12:36:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…6ar4
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But I really need to go further upstream!I was getting pushed around due to all the high-speed power boats. One you get upstream from where I got to, the river becomes much more enjoyable.

But it was a perfect day to be outside and a fun little adventure regardless.

Hahaha, there's the flowers!

2025-09-07T01:57:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…5l3f
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Hahaha, *there's* the flowers!

Okay, sure, not many pretty flowers, but some really nice country ...

2025-09-07T01:56:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…lkvj
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Okay, sure, not many pretty flowers, but some really nice country to walk through!

Took another shot at the South Fork of the American River. ...

2025-09-07T01:51:46Z

Took another shot at the South Fork of the American River. Frustrating! I only got halfway to the bridge before running out of time. I've done it before, but can't seem to find the time to do it now. Oh… I know why. Now I'm biking the kayak instead of carrying it on my car. Duh! Much slower and a lot more prep time. Okay, I've warmed up my wife to the idea of me leaving early without breakfast. And I'll prep the kayak and bike the night before. I'll eventually get it.

Still, nice day!
#kayaking

If it's underground in a pipe, that means it has a maximum ...

2025-08-24T17:06:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…dulf
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If it's underground in a pipe, that means it has a maximum carrying capacity… which means the upstream part is more likely to flood in heavy rain.
And now I'm wondering if my wild guess is right. Did a Google search and, well, yes, apparently it's a problem – but I don't know the area to know whether the flooding is upstream or downstream of this spot.

Messed up my schedule, but accomplished part of my goal. Decided ...

2025-08-17T02:46:38Z

Messed up my schedule, but accomplished part of my goal. Decided to go kayaking, and aimed for the SOFAR (South Fork of the American River). But that meant biking the kayak a fair distance. Well, I made it and launched from a spot being used by geese, but realized I was out of time. Only paddled 1 mile over to another beach where I recovered and biked back home.

Okay, the plan is to get an earlier start! At least I proved I can go that far without a car. Fun day too!

#kayaking

You mention fixing things with duct tape and I think of Red ...

2025-08-17T01:19:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…6g4m
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You mention fixing things with duct tape and I think of Red Green. So many great shows. Influenced a generation of ne'er do wells, he did.

Hackery because I'm too cheap to do the right thing. My car ...

2025-08-16T17:21:48Z

Hackery because I'm too cheap to do the right thing.

My car fob was "intermittent" due to it literally falling apart. Wrapped some wire around it and now it's solid.
And the toothpaste tube? I'm old enough to remember when they were made of metal and you could roll them up and they'd stay that way. Now they're mostly plastic and you need to buy a widget to do the same job. Or just use tweezers?

Follow me for more… Well, no, probably best you don't encourage me.

#ThereIFixedIt

Well, if I flip, I'm not getting it righted unless I tow it ...

2025-07-28T02:31:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…nlu5
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Well, if I flip, I'm not getting it righted unless I tow it to shore! So I keep a pair of swim fins ready to go on the bow.

But paddling it isn't a problem! It's stable on its own, and while I can feel the difference when I first get in, after 50 yards I don't even notice it.

Another mixed day: 10 miles of kayaking carrying the bike and 8.5 ...

2025-07-28T01:21:29Z

Another mixed day: 10 miles of kayaking carrying the bike and 8.5 miles of biking towing the kayak.

It's so freeing to be out kayaking and to be able to consider every spot where a bike trail passes close to the water as a potential recovery spot. So I never bother to plan my day. When the excitement of being on the trail is greater than the excitement of kayaking further, I switch modes.

#kayaking #biking

Looks like if you aren't careful you could end up in the ...

2025-07-27T12:52:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…ppsw
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Looks like if you aren't careful you could end up in the clouds.

You find gorgeous things everywhere you go!

2025-07-23T02:08:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…xhz3
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You find gorgeous things everywhere you go!

There has to be dirt and you have to carry something to drink. ...

2025-07-08T01:35:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…fh4y
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There has to be dirt and you have to carry something to drink. Pretty sure them's the rules. Well, at least one of those two things!

On my way back from today's walk, I cut through a residential ...

2025-07-06T01:38:33Z

On my way back from today's walk, I cut through a residential area. A car stopped and told me there were bees ahead. Ummm, okay?

I walked another 10 yards or so and then I saw them. Holy cow! A swarm of bees 50 feet across and 20 feet high flying in a circle. It was like a bee race. They covered the street and half of someone's yard. I was in awe.

Eventually I judged the bees had moved a bit and I might run by at the edge of the street. So I did. They followed me! More running! Adventure!

Looks like a dead end there. Fun to go exploring spots like that!

2025-06-09T02:20:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…jpvz
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Looks like a dead end there. Fun to go exploring spots like that!

Another weekend at the car shop. Once again, dropped the car off ...

2025-06-08T01:27:41Z

Another weekend at the car shop. Once again, dropped the car off and headed for the river. Managed to get about 12 miles of hiking on trails I haven't seen in years.
I have SO MANY pictures of all the rafters on the river, but… that's not why I enjoy my time on the trails.

I think walking in sand counts for 10x elevation gain. So it ...

2025-06-03T02:40:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…4m6x
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I think walking in sand counts for 10x elevation gain. So it feels like 1200.

Like the temperature when it's 80 and they say "feels like" 90.

Stock with mosquitofish, I meant. Gambusia affinis. Some ...

2025-05-21T02:10:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…837z
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Stock with mosquitofish, I meant. Gambusia affinis. Some government agency probably has bags of them to hand out.

Aren't there fish that eat mosquito larvae? Can you find what ...

2025-05-21T01:42:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…q5jl
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Aren't there fish that eat mosquito larvae? Can you find what agency has some and volunteer to go stock areas like this?

I'm beginning to wonder if there's enough dry land for a ...

2025-05-11T23:58:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…8mms
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I'm beginning to wonder if there's enough dry land for a soccer field there. You find so many creeks and ponds!

Is there maybe more than one soccer field?

First kayak outing of the year. 5 miles of biking pulling the ...

2025-05-04T02:17:47Z

First kayak outing of the year. 5 miles of biking pulling the kayak and 6 miles on the water carrying the bike. Unsurprisingly, the bike trip there is mostly downhill, but the trip back is uphill. Pedalling that load uphill is hard work!

Lucked out when I pulled the kayak behind a tree (to get out of the wind) to select a new audiobook, then looked through the tree and saw a bald eagle. Just wow.

Lots of cute goslings and geese too.

#Kayaking

Mine is nothing compared to yours. Climbing a hill a few weeks ...

2025-04-29T03:32:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…gtwg
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Mine is nothing compared to yours. Climbing a hill a few weeks ago (steep enough that hands and feet were required), stepped on a fallen tree "log" and had it split in half under me. Half the log and I went sliding down the hill.
But that's it. A bit of a fright, but the only thing that came of it was I had to start the climb over.

And what did I learn from this? Don't trust dead trees?

The long walk. Mile 29. Done. I didn't get lost so many ...

2025-04-20T04:03:44Z

The long walk. Mile 29. Done. I didn't get lost so many times, so I managed to get the walk done in less than 30 miles. And home by 9PM – which is actually a reasonable time!

What's funny is that I was just totally worn out at mile 18, but after:
* Eating
* Taking another ibuprofen
* Not having any more hills to climb!

... I got a second wind and felt a lot better.

#hiking

The long walk. Mile 5. The sun finally came up over the hills and ...

2025-04-19T16:02:13Z

The long walk. Mile 5. The sun finally came up over the hills and got down to the river where I'm hiking. Flowers. There are flowers everywhere. I could post nothing but flowers all day. This is absolutely the best season for hiking!

#hiking

Picked a location for an oil change based on proximity to a nice ...

2025-04-13T01:31:44Z

Picked a location for an oil change based on proximity to a nice trail. Got in about a 6-mile hike. Better than sitting in the waiting room watching television!

Spring has hidden some of the "rabbit trails" I follow, so I managed to get seriously off-trail and did some real bushwhacking to get back to something I recognized. The only real surprise was climbing a slope and having to get over a fallen tree. The 1ft thick trunk snapped under me… and there was some excitement. Don't tell my wife!

I'm wondering what the fish think of having to swim through ...

2025-04-13T01:09:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…slrx
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I'm wondering what the fish think of having to swim through (and "breathe") that dirty water.

On the hike yesterday, I was in rough country, descending a small ...

2025-01-27T16:15:36Z

On the hike yesterday, I was in rough country, descending a small slope towards a creek. I took a step down, some twigs cracked under my foot…

And the world exploded around me.

Turns out there was a buck and two does hiding on the other side of the creek and they'd decided I'd come close enough. I saw all the trees moving and heard something big crashing through the underbrush, but it wasn't until they jumped out of the depression that I realized what was going on. Yikes!

#hiking

I went right from cartoons to real life. If you've seen the ...

2025-01-17T03:46:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…f7cr
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I went right from cartoons to real life. If you've seen the cartoons, the bird is immediately recognizable.

The Tasmanian Devil, not so much.

If you've ever looked at security fences… That fence is ...

2025-01-11T21:08:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…54un
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If you've ever looked at security fences… That fence is designed to keep the fish in, not to keep the people out.

Any person could just climb over that fence. This is clearly a breakout by the fish. Watch your back on that trail.

All I see there are perfect cacti. But I have memories from long ...

2024-12-31T20:03:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…g0um
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All I see there are perfect cacti. But I have memories from long ago of seeing lots of bent or damaged plants. I never thought to ask why they were misshapen. Are they all perfect where you are?

I ordered a few hundred dollars of small gifts. They all came in ...

2024-12-24T14:48:31Z

I ordered a few hundred dollars of small gifts. They all came in one gray plastic bag. UPS (un)helpfully dropped the bag off in our driveway instead of putting it on the porch like everyone else.

My wife backed the car over it.

It could be worse. The larger expensive items came through okay. Smaller items were crushed. Pretty much the opposite of what I'd expected.

Totally lucked out. Overcast rainy windy day, but I was ...

2024-12-14T23:14:38Z

Totally lucked out. Overcast rainy windy day, but I was determined to go for a walk anyway. And as soon as I stepped outside, it cleared up.

Only about 4 miles, just killing time while my tire got fixed. Never pass up a chance to enjoy the river!

#hiking #GetOutside

30 hours of travel time to get from my house to the hotel room. ...

2024-12-01T22:08:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…uk2e
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30 hours of travel time to get from my house to the hotel room. All my flights were delayed, and as a result, my pre-paid ride from the airport left without me because:
1 - I was two hours late!
2 - They tried to contact me via WhatsApp. Which I don't use. Apparently WhatsApp is just expected here.

Looking forward to, let's see, 5 hours of sleep before I start giving training.

If you've ever traveled for work, you know this is a perfectly normal trip so far.

No hikes for the next two weekends. On my way to Istanbul ...

2024-12-01T00:20:53Z

No hikes for the next two weekends. On my way to Istanbul Türkiye to provide some "factory testing and training". Türkiye is neutral ground since my company won't let me go to the actual location and my students can't get visas to come to the US.

Transferring through Los Angeles and I swear I'm in a zombie movie. There's nobody here. I guess the big "go back home" rush will happen tomorrow.

#airports

But are fishermen and soccer dads also migrating?

2024-11-27T05:14:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…c950
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But are fishermen and soccer dads also migrating?

Another 16 mile hike, but only because I had to shortcut the 20 ...

2024-11-17T06:42:05Z

Another 16 mile hike, but only because I had to shortcut the 20 mile plan because it was dinner time. Should have started it earlier 🫤. Went on trails I haven't visited in years – and on a few new side trails.

The light was amazing today, shining through the leaves, making every tree look like it glowed.
https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv2gP7JG4O

#hiking

16-mile (26km) walk today and it was such a perfect day! Clear ...

2024-11-10T04:36:38Z

16-mile (26km) walk today and it was such a perfect day! Clear skies, cool weather, and every time I pointed my camera at something I thought "nobody's going to believe this". My wife was impressed; she saw all the pictures. You... Only get to see these. And I got to see the real things!
What a fun day!
https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O927QV8Q6

My wife dragged me along on the Folsom Garden Club's tour of ...

2024-10-18T01:54:20Z

My wife dragged me along on the Folsom Garden Club's tour of the "Calaveras Big Trees" park. We managed to get all the 80-year-old women to do a 1.5 mile walk through the trees, and, well, I enjoyed the trip!

The Giant Sequoia trees are unbelievable. A 10-20 foot wide trunk that just goes straight up well over a hundred feet without apparent narrowing, then some tight greenery that hides the upper parts. It looked like science fiction.

All the other trees looked nice too ;)

Well, it happened. Again. The hated "Callery Pear" ...

2024-10-10T22:30:33Z

Well, it happened. Again. The hated "Callery Pear" (a.k.a. "semen tree" because of the smell) dropped a branch. All us regulars know not to park under the trees because each one drops about 2 branches a year.

So the new guy (only worked here a month) took some damage. This is how learning happens. Not how it *should* happen, mind you.

The only good part was it happened while someone from property management was standing there. There'll be an arborist out soon to pull the branch off.

The tip being a color that hides in the water is more what I ...

2024-09-25T03:06:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…uss4
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The tip being a color that hides in the water is more what I expected.
I guess the color on your end is the line isn't critical to fishing and might (?) alert you that you're getting close to running out of line.

Why gold? And why different colors on the line? Pretty basic ...

2024-09-24T11:42:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…p9zv
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Why gold? And why different colors on the line? Pretty basic stuff, I'm sure, but I'm not a fisherman. But I'm still curious!

I'm constantly amazed at how beautiful nature is only a step ...

2024-09-22T17:11:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…ztpj
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I'm constantly amazed at how beautiful nature is only a step away. So many people just zoom by in their cars without realizing they're passing over a beautiful little creek.

That neglect is what keeps it special for the few people who stop to look.

You keep mentioning prohibitions against fishing, and I keep ...

2024-09-06T02:56:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…t557
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You keep mentioning prohibitions against fishing, and I keep ignoring those statements. I just assumed that everybody but me just knows this stuff.

But how _do_ you know which creeks allow fishing? Does the county or local fishing agency publish special maps?

So you climbed down the slippery moss-covered wall to get us this ...

2024-09-03T00:59:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…zrn0
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So you climbed down the slippery moss-covered wall to get us this picture. Commitment.

Or you found an easy way down. Oh, pah! If you stopped and went back to find an easy way down just to get this picture, that's still commitment!

The woman is levitating. Just sayin'. Not sure what the rules ...

2024-08-25T22:20:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…cmps
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The woman is levitating. Just sayin'. Not sure what the rules say about that.

My wife felt well enough to go out kayaking! I don't think ...

2024-08-17T01:48:28Z

My wife felt well enough to go out kayaking! I don't think she's been on the water in a year. I took her to a calm secluded spot with lots of narrow channels to explore. It's really a beautiful spot and was very relaxing for both of us.

Back in the US and thought I'd jump right back into my usual ...

2024-08-04T01:05:55Z

Back in the US and thought I'd jump right back into my usual 15-mile hike. But after several weeks of living in completely different temperatures and humidity, and since I just flew back in last night at midnight, and since I'm dealing with a 10-hour offset body clock, and since I've only got 4 hours of sleep...

I bailed out after only 9 miles (14 km).

Sheesh, it was 104 F (40 C) today. Even the squirrels I came across were just hiding in the shade and not moving.