"Outdoor activities with Rick Shekelle"
-T. Teasdale
There's something special about southern California. That
came through clearly during my recent three-day hiking and camping trip with Sue
Shekelle's husband, Rick.
Rick's legendary hospitality and patience were no doubt tested by my requests for trips to the blooming desert and the snowcapped hills, as well as visits to Blackjack, the local burro. El Nino contributed to one of the best years in memory for floral displays in the usually arid desert. From a distance, the landscape still looks dry and sparse; but up close, the variety and vitality of the plant life is stunning.
Unfortunately, our camp out under
the stars was interrupted by rain. Getting chased out of the desert by a midnight
rainstorm is not what I was expecting. Typically, there is no reason to even consider
putting up a tent.
To capitalize on Mother Nature's amazing diversity, we spent a good part of
the next day an hour or so in a different direction tromping in the snow. Driving up into
the higher elevations took us right through a transition zone from beautifully clear
weather into the deepest snowy fog I've seen in many years. It couldn't have been nicer.
My trip was capped off with a final visit to Blackjack. He is useful to Rick's residential community much like Big Ben is useful to London's populace. Blackjack's "heehaw" resonates throughout the valley for all to hear. I can recall it now, but it's not like being there.
