I'm a little behind on posts seeing as the Sierra foothills do not offer wireless internet. Now with work in full swing, four days of my week are spent camping and hiking in the mountains. It's challenging work and I'm already back in tip-top shape and feeling good. Unfortunately, we haven't been finding any hawks. Most of the day is quite enjoyable with some great scenery along my cross-country surveys (no pictures though b/c my digital camera is still out of commission). Certainly not enough reptiles though, save for the one Gilbert's skink I saw the other day.
I've been checking the rocky, open spots regularly for snakes and lizards but to no avail. There's also the occasional collision will fallen braches and trees, leaving for some nasty bruises and scrapes (typical by-product of any field job). I've also declared the Manzanita my sworn enemy...a particularly scratchy bush that grows in large clusters through which I must navigate very slowly...the frustration it causes is only matched by that of a thick phelaris patch in the marshes of Lockport. Other than these disappointments, the job has been pretty swell. Another curious observation I've made while at home is that although we are at full capacity with 6 crew members, it's almost as if Taylor and I live here alone. Everyone else retreats to their respective caves/bedrooms and only emerge to forage occasionally. The socialization is lacking, making me eager to spend my weekends elsewhere. Two weekends ago was the mendocino trip. And come tomorrow morning, I will be on my way to sin city for a rendezvous with familiar faces from Chicago. It couldn't come at a better time. Tensions have been building and I'm longing for a dose of the midwest. Even the long drive through the desert should prove clarifying. There's nothing like an expanse of seemingly empty desert to bring things into perspective. Now if only I can manage to find some herp life at the red rocks preserve, I think I may reach a breakthrough.
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