Critters

We encountered a number of camp critters during our week-long camping trip to the Lake Tahoe area this year. Two bears and untold chipmunks and squirrels had the potential to ruin the trip.

Although my loss to bears and chipmunks was minimal, we almost lost our entire food supply to a hungry black bear just after we moved from Kit Carson Campground to Tahoe Valley Campground.

In all we tossed one jar of peanut butter and a container of Hershey's cocoa powder. And in the process I re-learned the importance of locking the ice chest and food in the truck each night.

What proceeds is a do-as-I-say-no-as-I-do story. When we first arrived at Kit Carson, the camp host said, "We've been lucky this year -- no bear sightings. But put your food in the truck each night anyway.

I listened and quickly agreed with the host. It's long been my practice to secure our food in the truck each night when camping in the Sierra Nevada. There were no bears at Kit Carson during our three-day visit.

The chipmunks struck within hours of setting camp up at Tahoe Valley. While away at the supermarket, the cute fury critters almost decapitates our only jar of peanut butter. I suspect we ran them off as we drove up to the campsite.

That night I broke my number one rule in bear country. Out of laziness, I neglected to move all of the food into the backseat of the pick up before going to bed.

We'll be okay, I reasoned. After all, we didn't see any bears at Tahoe Valley last time we visited (in 2007).

At 1 a.m., my daughter bolted from her bed and yelled, "Dad, there's a bear out there!" I quickly crawled over my wife (and calmed her in the process) and joined my daughter in the doorway to the tent trailer.

A small to medium cinnamon-brown black bear had a grip on our circa 1978 Coleman ice cooler. He was minutes away from tearing the lid open and feasting on eggs, Italian sausage and three different cheeses (Parmesan, cheddar and blue).

My 23-year-old daughter blocked the door as I tried to slip by her. I didn't really have a plan at that point. I suppose I would've grabbed a couple pots and become a one-man precession orchestra.

At that point, my sole purpose was to chase the bear back into the forest. A diet berries, fish and nuts seemed more appropriate than the contents of my vintage ice chest.

Content to remain safely in the trailer for the moment, I told my daughter to throw something at him. She peeled a banana and threw it his way.

That did it! The bear charged off to the next victim. I quickly leaped out of the trailer and recovered the ice chest.

I had re-learned my lesson. I will never again leave my ice chest and dry food unattended in bear country.

In honor of a scrambled ice chest (with 1-1/2 doz. eggs inside!), we had scrambled eggs with sausage and spinach for breakfast Wednesday.

Sorry, no pictures of bears. I was too busy protecting my food to snap a few for the record. We did see a larger black bear late Thursday afternoon in the campground, but my focus was again locking up.

Sierra Nevada Ramblings-a blog worth reading

It's rare that I find a blog worth writing about. When I first ventured upon Sierra Nevada Ramblings last month, I knew I'd return each week for a visit.

The blogger and photographer of Sierra Nevada Ramblings has plenty of opportunity to take breathtaking images of the Sierra Nevada. A job as a seasonal National Park Service ranger often places Zhakee Williams in the some of the best scenery in California.

Off-season pictures -- like the one of Walker Pass in the southern Sierra -- are equally spectacular. Zhakee has lived close to her photographic venue for close to two decades.

Like most photographers, Zhakee's photography seems to be improving with each blog post. I especially enjoyed the article and pictures of the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery with its castle-like buildings.

Sierra Nevada Ramblings is a blog worth reading -- and viewing.

Goat

We get a chance to gaze at the "wildlife" with blog no. 26 ...

This guy came out to chew up the grass on the hillside when my wife and I took an evening stroll along the El Dorado Trail.

Tahoe Chipmunk

No. 6 takes you back to our Lake Tahoe vacation ...

Here's a nice shot of a furry resident of South Lake Tahoe's Pope Estate. This guy and his (her?) buddies live under the staff cabins and other out buildings. I know the photograph is a little fuzzy, but this was the best I could do at playing National Geographic photographer while my family walked on.

I'm sure the snow and chill winter has driven these little guys have underground. They weren't very cooperative in warmer times.

Reminiscent of the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact, who quickly adapted whenever to Captain Picard and crew aimed their weapons. As soon as I raised my camera to eye level, these pint-sized residents scattered. They seem to have all summer to learn how to avoid photographers.

I bet this guy was having a slow day.

Squirrel Gone Postal

This may be a first for the U.S. Postal Service.

Barb Dougherty, a 30-year old letter carrier from Oil City, Pennsylvania, was treated for scratches and cuts after a squirrel attack.

The Associated Press reported:

"It was a freak thing. It was traumatic," Dougherty told The Derrick newspaper. "I saw it there on the porch, put the mail in the box and turned to walk away and it jumped on me." She said the animal ran up her leg and onto her back. "I eventually got a hold of the tail and pulled it off me," Dougherty said. "No one was home at the house where I was delivering the mail, but the neighbor lady heard me screaming and came over."

May be I need to be careful next time I walk in the backyard.

Roof Climbing Squirrel

It's not often wildlife comes to us.

This afternoon as I was getting ready to leave for a hike at Sly Park, I saw a squirrel dashing through my Dutch oven equipment. He ran straight up the wall along a drain spout and settled under the eve. I found a wasp nest during my photography session with the squirrel.

He was still up there when I left at 3:30 p.m. for Sly Park. I'll post pictures from the Gouge Mile Road area tomorrow.

How Many Ducklings?

Here's the answer to Sunday's puzzle ...

Eight ducklings (plus mamma, center left) swam away from the photographer along the eastern shore to Odell Lake.

The Mallards of Odell Lake

We watched a flock of female Mallard ducks during our stay at the Odell Creek Campground earlier this month.

The ladies, about four or five in number, lived around the headwaters of Odell Creek.

Each evening, they fed along the shore of the creek, which is the main drainage for the lake in the eastern Cascade Range in central Oregon.

Usually the main group of females paddled in the wake of several exposed rocks along the southern shore of the creek.

Momma and her ducklings held back 10 or 15 feet further down stream.

I was confused all week as to the number of ducklings. Then Friday morning I had an opportunity to count them as the sat in the morning sun near the campground.

Can you count the ducklings? How many are they?

The answer in a few days.

West Davis Lake Campground

An Osprey circles above
the lake shore in search
of prey in the warm
afternoon sun.

We camped at West Davis Lake Campground for three days in July 1990. The camp, located along the west shore of Odell Creek as it enters the lake, was situated in a nice stand of lodgepole pines.

Today, the campground is closed. The Davis Fire destroyed the campground in 2003. The area since has been converted to day use. The boat ramp is still in use.

According the the website for the Deschutes National Forest, the campground was supposed to reopen in 2005.

The 21,000-acre fire destroyed much of the lodgepole pine forest that surrounds Davis Lake. The fire started somewhere near the East Davis Lake Campground, visible in the stand of live pine trees in the background. Investigators believe the fire was of human origin.

Lupine flowers grow in the meadow along Odell Creek, near the boat ramp.