Friday, September 13, 2013

Sometimes Friends Are For The Birds

 

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Our Lazy Daze friends Rick and Annie and dog Dweezil, and Steve and his dog Jiggs are spending the week at Oh Ridge Campground on June Lake. We had a nice visit with them yesterday at their prime lake view sites.

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There was smoke and haze, still from the Rim Fire in Yosemite, so the pictures aren’t great, but they had two of the best sites in the whole place.

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We spent a pleasant couple hours catching up, and hope to see them again in Quartzsite in January.

From left: Steve, Rick, Annie, Debbie, and Jim.

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The girls: Debbie, Annie and me.

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While we were sitting there a Steller’s jay landed nearby, and Jim said to hand him the camera. Of course I had left it in the car and it flew off by the time I got it. Steve then went and got a handful of peanuts and placed them on top of the bear box. From then on we had one bird after another coming for a snack and finally got some good photos of a jay.

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And a couple other moochers.

Brewer’s Blackbird, maybe?

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Not sure if these are female Mountain Bluebirds or something else.

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We’ve had some people stop by our camp looking for the hot springs soaking tubs. Guess they assumed we might be parked near one, so we took a walk to see if we could find them, and happened upon this about a mile from our site.

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These tubs were built by volunteers, and we spoke to a nearby camper who said the BLM has torn some of them out.

There is a pipe with a shut off valve running from the actual hot springs to the tub.

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Not far down the meadow is another one that didn’t appear to be functioning.

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I know a lot of people are into soaking in places like this, and I am not a real germaphobe, but this just didn’t look all that appealing. Yesterday after we got back from June Lake we walked by there again. Nobody else was around, so Debbie and I took off our shoes and tested the waters. Must admit it felt pretty good but still can’t see immersing my whole body in with all that green slime on the rocks.

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But it certainly is a pleasant place to sit and relax.

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5 comments:

  1. The bird photos are fantastic. Stellar Jays are so beautiful.

    Now that is something we haven't seen...BLM hot tubs. What will they think of next?

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  2. Love that last photo!!! So wide open, green, and with a great western sky.
    Some hot springs have dangerous bacteria that grows naturally. There were signs at one place we hiked to warning to soak at your own risk and to be sure to keep your head above water. Of course that didn't stop us from getting naked :)
    Box Canyon Mark

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  3. Those are some pretty awesome sites at Oh Ridge. The hot tubs are rather surprising! I would probably have the same reaction as you though!

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  4. Have been to that very tub and loved it. Just think of the green stuff as nature's cushion on the rocks...
    It's algae - a plant, not bacteria, which may be there too but I think it's just as likely in any natural mineral hot springs. The "spas" that charge big bucks advertise "no chemicals added".

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  5. Love the Stellar Jay shots. I am not a bird person but have enjoyed seeing this guy. I love the way color when the sun strikes it.

    What an unusual discovery...free hot tubs! But, I also agree with you, not a full body soak. Heat breeds bacteria. Gotta wonder what is in there. A foot soak sounds perfect.

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