Well, I have made it a month here in Sonora, CA. The job is going well, mainly just wading through the mountains of paperwork and computer-work that are part of getting and keeping a Forest Service job anymore. The folks I work with are all pretty cool, and the location of the base is hard to beat. The commute to work is a bit longer than I would like, but it’s still not bad at 20 miles.
The thing that is taking the most to get used to is the elevation difference between Sonora, where I live, and Bald Mountain, where I work. Sonora sits at about 1800 feet above sea level… Bald Mountain sits at about 5700 feet. Quite a difference, especially since Sonora is usually right below the snow line. It’s a little strange to leave for work in the morning in the “spring” and be into winter by the time I’m halfway to work. There’s no snow at Sonora, but by the time you get to Bald Mtn. there’s around 2 feet of it. On most days it’s t-shirt weather in Sonora, and coat/jacket weather at the helibase. Makes for great fun in getting dressed in the AM.
And some images from the past few weeks… Bald Mtn. and Yosemite NP.
Yosemite Valley
Half Dome
Sunrise at Bald Mountain.
