Venture #1: Cactus Flats Restoration
A co-worker, Jordan, and I drove 40 minutes to the town of Big Bear to help with a tree planting one hot weekend. Just over the side of the mountains lies a great expanse of desertland, and a Boy Scout was doing an Eagle Project to restore an old firing range to its natural state. With gloves and bucket of water (5 gallon orange buckets), we planted pinon pines and spread Joshua tree seeds across the desert sands. It was a sweltering yet rewarding part of our weekend! There were several people who helped out, and it was nice to chat with the other volunteers.
To protect our seedlings, we also put plastic cages around the plants so ground squirrels and mule deer wouldn't have the chance to munch on them.
Venture #2: San Diego Beach Bumming and Balboa Park
The following weekend, several of us headed to San Diego, a mere 3 hour drive from our home! We camped out on a popular surfing beach for an evening (somewhat illegally); it was worth it to hear the waves lulling us to sleep! Then we drove to Balboa Park, a huge city park in the heart of the city that hosts San Diego's infamous zoo and the Natural History Museum. [http://www.balboapark.org/] Our sights were set on the Natural History Museum and its large display on "Water: H2O=Life." (What can I say...we're all science nerds!) :) Outside the museum was an intriguing globe display on conservation issues, and we particularly like the "Be A Teenie Greenie" globe. After hours in the museum, we found a delicious Peruvian restaurant to eat at before heading back towards the mountains. We got ridiculously lost on the way back as we searched for an elusive National Forest, but we had a great time and positive spirits.
Venture #3: Sequoia National Park
A final adventure involved our escape from the ponderosa pines of our forest to the giant sequoias of Sequoia National Park, about 5 hours north of the San Berndardino National Forest. We had grand plans to backpack to an isolated Redwood grove along the southern part of the park. During our first 20 minutes inside the park boundaries, we saw a momma black bear with her two cubs - it seemed like a good sign for our adventures to come!
However, our luck took a turn for the worse - no, we didn't get attacked by bears. Instead the rain attacked our hiking parade...for about 14 hours straight! With soaked sleeping bags and drenched tents, we knew we should turn around, especially as the temperature started to drop. Before leaving the park and heading home, we decided we wanted to see the Northern part of the park before leaving - it was a little bit higher in elevation and hosted the more "touristy" part of the park. Within 10 minutes of the Giant Forest, the rain turned into SNOW! We all gasped at the beauty of the red-orange bark of the sequoias and their fresh coat of whiteness. I remember saying "Wow, it's like Christmas here," to which a travel companion countered, "Ya, Christmas on steroids!" (in response to the height of all the trees!) We tumbled out of the car like little kids and ran to touch the cold, wet snow.
It was one of the most beautiful winter wonderlands I've ever seen in my life, and I couldn't believe how fortunate we were to see this first landing of snow on the giant, prehistoric-looking trees! We slide down the path to General Sherman, the world's largest tree on record (in volume), and I felt a sense of smallness more impressive on my memory than similar experiences next to tall buildings. Our group of five couldn't stretch around half of the tree, despite our fully outstretched arms!
After seeing "the Big Guy," we continued our winter stroll, exploring the magnitude of other trees in the forest. There was an eerie yet fitting silence weaving throughout the big redwoods and sequoias - it matched our wandering eyes and hushed voices. We wondered aloud what the first explorers in this area thought upon arriving in these over-sized forests - did they think everything was bigger than life, including animals?
We completed our walk just before sunset and watched the sky change colors as the last rays of light reflected off the snow. It was a breathtaking experience, and I wish it upon everyone - the chance to see sequoias up close and personal. Failing to wrap your arms around the trunk of a sequoia speaks volumes more than any picture ever can.
Venture #4: An Oregonian Thanksgiving [in progress]
I'm spending the week of Thanksgiving in Oregon and hoping to visit several friends while I'm here. I long for the Midwest and a meal surrounded by family - alas, Christmastime will bring that joy in time. I will share tales of Oregon's Thanksgiving in coming posts - it will probably be a moisture-filled day, but that shouldn't damper my thankfulness...
...for my family and our long-distance "family meeting" conversations; for the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents that make me smile with fondness; for friends with supportive voices and happy stories to share; for students who are eager to explore the woods; for frozen banana smoothies and community potlucks; for boundless beauty in a creation so vast; and for adventures great and small - the opportunities to learn new things and create resplendent memories.
Love love, Jilly
