A Few Days In A Cabin In The Woods

I am fortunate enough to have a friend that worked really hard to restore an old cabin in the woods and now Max and I get to enjoy it for a few days.  I love being in the forest.  It is so peaceful and gives me an urge to live like this full time.  The problem I have with it is that I have a hard time relaxing.  I am used to being on the go and moving constantly so sitting still takes some practice.

The cabin doesn't have electricity or water so it's like camping in a tent with a hard shell.  I have books and magazines but when the power was low on my computer and phone, panic started to set in.  It sounds crazy, I know.  To some, bliss is hanging out alone and reading a book.  I find it hard to sit still enough to enjoy it but I am trying.  I keep thinking of "what's next" and what I need to do to work on the projects I have in mind.  It's a good time to plan what I want to accomplish on this trip and perhaps plan a little more on where I will be headed next.  I still don't really know since I try and just plan it day by day.

I took Max on some walks in the forest, took a few pictures and kept imagining that a bear would come up to the house and have tea with us.  If not a bear, I would see sasquatch hunched over, running by.  I suppose it's a good thing I have my imagination to keep me company here when there is not a soul around. I keep my camera close by just in case those things actually happen.

So, the next stop is a mystery, but I like it that way.

A Tourist Watching Tourists In Yosemite National Park

Ahhh, the joy of getting out of the city to get away from it all.  To breathe in the fresh air, see the mountains, look at the beautiful trees...oh yeah, with everyone else driving from the city to do the same.  I love our National Parks, as many other Americans do, but sometimes the crowds can rival those in metro areas. This was one of those weekends.

You know the stories of extremely rich people wanting to go to outer space alone and are willing to pay big bucks to do so?  I wonder what it would be like if you could do that with a National Park.  Can you imagine being at one of these parks alone? Now I just need to win the lottery to see if it's possible.

As I toured through Yosemite, I wondered if Ansel Adams could handle the crowds that tour the park today.  I was laughing to myself thinking of him setting up his camera and waiting for the light as 20 tourists stood behind him snapping away.  It is pretty insane how many people line up to wait for a parking space and then walk fifty feet to look at a waterfall.  Don't get me wrong, the scenery is so beautiful and amazing but when you pair it with sitting in traffic to park just to walk behind a herd of people, you start thinking to yourself, "this better be the most beautiful waterfall ever!...or else!"

I took pictures of the scenery, but I also enjoyed snapping pictures of the tourists.  Once a bear was spotted in the field, the traffic was jammed up for miles, there was a ranger directing the traffic and yelling at people to keep moving, the same ranger was yelling at people to stay on the road as the crowd tried to inch closer and closer to the grazing bear.  I cracked up as I saw a family turning to take a family photo. This is how the mother would describe the printed picture to someone: "Here's the last picture I have of my husband and kids when they turned their back to the hungry bear in Yosemite."

Oh, and after the hike to the waterfall, there was also the line ten people deep to use the "bathroom."

I spent the day driving on the road that took me through the entire park.  After touring the valley, it was time to go back to the campsite for some quiet time with Max.  The following morning, we left our site around 7:30a.m and the line to get a site was out of the door at the reservation house.  Oddly enough, I wasn't the only one who thought it would be a good idea to camp at Yosemite this weekend.

The Women Park Rangers Of Yosemite

After Max and I left Big Bear, we head up to Yosemite.  After a long day of driving, we arrived around four in the afternoon.  Lucky for us, a campsite just opened up that day so there were spots available.  We decided to stay a few nights.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, a goal of mine is to meet woman across the United States in different professions and introduce them to you.  Ultimately, I look forward to the opportunity to put them together in a book. I was lucky enough to meet five park rangers and do a photoshoot with them.  I also spent some time interviewing the more seasoned veteran of the group, Michele.

I checked in to camp and told them about my project.  I was thrilled to hear that all of them were on board with it and agreed to be photographed.  That night I set up camp and Max and I decided to relax after a long day of driving.  The next morning, we woke up and took some pictures of the ladies on duty.

Throughout the day, people were checking in to camp and I considered myself lucky that I got there in time before the entire site filled up.  Shortly after I arrived, the vacancy turned into "full."  There is something about a National Park that we all love.  In fact, I thought about how great it would be to be a park ranger when I was considering job options while I was in college. Things went in a slightly different direction.

These women are living the dream and each day they get to call a National Park their office.  Don't get me wrong, this is not an easy job.  They still have to deal with unhappy campers with a smile.  I witnessed it myself as car after car pulled up hoping for a spot.

I wasn't the only one who thought the park would be a great place to go right before a holiday weekend. More on touring the sites in the next blog.

A big thank you to all of these wonderful rangers that took the time to help me with my project.