It was quite breezy, but there were helicopters dumping water on it all that day. It seems out now. Because it is so steep, and the wind was blowing West (toward the peak), and the Wheeler Crest rises above treeline, it was always more likely to burn itself out, since the flames were heading uphill, toward the treeline. Dubbed the Crest Fire, it’s out now. It was interesting to see it in the early morning when it was still dark out - a strange light up on the Wheeler Crest is a rare thing, and I didn’t even realize it was a fire until I zoomed in with my telephoto lens…

Yeah, since I live in Bishop, I don’t really go early season. Too much water, too many mosquitos. This was in late August, and no bugs, and I just put on my sandals for the creek crossing at Evolution Creek. Still warm during the day, a bit chilly at night - perfect weather to enjoy it…

Well, one died in January of this year:

https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/motorcycle-fatality-july-2024.htm

Here’s an article that give statistics and causes of deaths in Death Valley National Park:

https://safer-america.com/deaths-at-death-valley-national-park/

LOL. Sorry, I thought I linked to the whole gallery:

https://imgur.com/gallery/yairi-fym88kr-guitar-4lkdFjD

I thought I linked to the gallery in the post, but here it is:

https://imgur.com/gallery/yairi-fym88kr-guitar-4lkdFjD

Update Regarding Search for Taylor Rodriguez On January 4, 2025, at approximately 1:00 PM, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and Inyo County Search and Rescue located Taylor Rodriguez approximately half a mile northwest of Upper Boy Scout Lake, at an elevation of 12,000 feet, near the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek Trail. It has been confirmed that he is deceased.

At this time, no further details are available. We extend our deepest condolences to Taylor’s family and friends during this difficult time.

We want to thank everyone who assisted in the search efforts, including climbers and hikers who provided valuable information. Special thanks to the Army National Guard, CHP Inland Division Air Operations, CHP Central Division Air Operations, CalOES FIRIS (High altitude imaging plane), Mono County SAR, and China Lake Mountain Rescue Group (Kern County) for their mutual aid and dedication. Additionally, we express our gratitude to the kitchen staff of the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office for their support to the search teams.

Yes, definitely a rookie mistake. I’m sure they were tired, and just didn’t give it a second thought. Hopefully they’ve learned some valuable lessons about backpacking, and will take a lot more care if they ever decide there will be a “next time.”

Feel free to look up the TouronsOfYellowstone Instagram account for a fun follow…

Precisely. I live near Yosemite National Park, and it would be an absolute disaster if there were enough hotels, campgrounds, and amenities to meet the demand. The demand FAR exceeds its capacity for tourists, but it would destroy the very reason for that demand if that actually happened.

So what did they do? Set rules for the number of tourists allowed in the park per day, and stuck to it.

It’s a shame. I did pay for lifetime, and that’s always a risk. Looks like this bet didn’t pay off. The money doesn’t bother me - more the fact that there isn’t a portrait-only Lemmy app that’s a good replacement. If anyone knows of one that’s as good and will stay in portrait without having to put the whole phone in portrait lock, please let me know…

Categories such as “education” are useful for limiting access for specific groups of devices. For example, if one class has a particularly mischievous group who keep going off task from their devices, rules can be created to whitelist certain categories, and only pass traffic that are in these more straightforward categories. Just FYI.

I work in K12 IT, and the reason is that all manner of categories are defined for both blacklisting and whitelisting when creating content filter rules. So while “education” would not be used for blocking, it would be useful for rules to apply to specific defined groups or devices which can only access specific categories (such as education). Just FYI.

Yes, that patented “Sure-Align” neck joint is one of the best features that drew me to the SC series initially. It’s great. I also love the neck profile - it’s very much like the electric guitars I’m accustomed to. It’s a fantastic instrument.

Very nice. Did it come with those bellows, or was that aftermarket?

I also have the Virtuoso+, which was my first step beyond the blade grinders I had always used, and it’s a big upgrade. You’re going to really notice the difference in brews. Congratulations!

I did see this: Baratza single dose hopper with bellows. I don’t have one, but that may be something I get later. I suppose a bellows might be decent at getting the last bit of coffee out of the burrs. It’s not too expensive, so perhaps I’ll give it a try…

That’s the first guitar my parents ever got me - a 1983 Aria Pro IIrs “Wildcat.” Made in Japan (in the famed Matsumoku factory), it’s a Strat copy with dual humbucker pickups, and a push-pull volume knob that will coil-split either, for a good single-coil sound as well. For an inexpensive instrument (I think it was around $200 in 1983) it’s very well built. That’s why I’ve kept it all these years…

I guess my only question is, why is this happening when there is literally no wind blowing?

Well, I can say definitively that I know what is making that clicking sound. It’s hard to see since the cable is in silhouette, but there are silver-colored spirals wound around the cable, and the sound is made by the plastic sheathing of the black cable wobbling inside of those metal spirals. The spirals are made of aluminum, I’m pretty sure. Those spirals are put there to stiffen the the hanging cable, and appear on the hanging cable between every set of poles (not just these, that are wiggling). There are two spirals mounted on each cable between the poles. I assume the spirals are mounted there to provide damping, just in case the wind does cause the cable hanging between the poles to swing too much. But, there was no wind blowing when I shot this video (Dec 5, 2023). The voice you hear is mine, just speculating on what might be causing the oscillating cable…

No, I’ve never tried to quantify the variables in that way. Just out walking the dog, and notice this strange behavior from time to time. I always assumed the poles were placed a specific distance apart, but honestly, I’m not sure. I suppose if I ever have the urge to pace it out to get a good estimate, I will…