Saturday, July 14, 2007

One of the Best



One of my absoultely favorite places on this earth, the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery, almost burned to the ground last week. Fortunately, it was SAVED, but the firefighters had to jump into the ponds to avoid flames, and several went to the hospital. I was there the very day before it happened. Here is one of the last pictures taken of that most peaceful and serene place on God's good earth...before the fire. Click on the photo, it is heaven on earth, located in the wonderous shadow of the great Sierra Nevada Mountains, the hatchery always knows a breeze blowing ...always knows, always knows.


One of my other most favorite places, San Dimas Canyon, burned incredibly a few years ago. It was a marvelous place, my dreams there were so many, now looks like the moon.


Another, in Lytle Creek, also burned.


I'll need to seek my last remaining areas of solitude...because life is short, and so too are many things of life.


I had terrible bug bites this last week, a product of my trip last week into the Sierra mountains. I hate whatever that was that got me...whatever it was that it is. A stealth bug, maybe.


I was reading about a bunch of gold prospectors that hang out in the East Fork of the San Gabriel river. Those die-hards. I have done that...propecting for gold, but mostly in the Mother Lode region of the Western Sierra Nevada. It can be hard and dangerous work. I once saw the bad end of a rifle barrel doing that stuff. People get crazy. Read on it...


http://www.dankat.com/advents/eastfk.htm


There is even a "bridge to nowhere". No, it's not my website, another guy did it.




If you go to the website, see the slide show.

--Dan

2 comments:

grace said...

Hi Dan,

The fish hatchery is so beautiful, what a shame about the fire. Such beauty burned. Fire is so scary.

And sorry about that stealth bug that got ya. Have a great weekend.

xx

MargieCM said...

Oh Dan, what a waste. The hatchery looks beautiful, and to have it destroyed is such a shame. Fire is so devastating. I think firefighters must be among th bravest people on earth. You just can't imagine the force and heat of a wind-fed firestorm until you've been there, and when they fight fires in areas with limited access and escape routes, it's even more dangerous.

I'm not sure what the canyon looked like before, but will it regenerate? Fire often has a way of heralding a new cycle of growth and life, so I hope so.

You can have the prospecting! Talk about a tough life.

Hope the bug bites stop itching soon.

M x