Thursday morning in Yosemite

The only way for homeowners / landlords to get internet access here is by satellite.  Residential access to that service is maxed out.  Our hosts waited two years for a slot to open up before they could get access.

No need to become terribly technical, but residential use of the satellite data is also capped.  That all sounds inconvenient until you consider for a moment that you are getting access to the internet in the middle of the wilderness.

Smokey the bear (a fictional character who has not visited this condo unit) would be proud of the Airattack crew that worked quickly to control a fire near Yosemite Falls this week.  The park service practices fire management.  Fire, is good for the ecosystem.  Over time a large amount of what Rangers call "duff" builds up on the floor.  Too much and you get unconrollable fires like in Northern California.

Periodically, the park service will permit fires to burn under scrutiny, especially if the fire is caused by a lightning strike.  However, when a fire is caused by careless smoking, that usually requires intervention.  One of the images below shows the helicopter crew dumping water onto a fire that burned for a few days.  You won't see smoke because they were dousing hot spots.  We watched it burn for a few days before the fire accomplished what needs to happen.

A brown bear was feeding up trail during our hike on Wednesday.  I didn't see it but other hikers did.  Of course one of them took her tablet and tried to get close enough for a selfie with the bear.

So here is my advice this morning.  Treat these parks with respect.  Leave only footprints.  Take only pictures.  Smoking is bad for you in the first place, but if you smoke, don't do it on a hiking trail and certainly don't toss your butts into the trees.  And when you "take only pictures" please remember the animals in the parks are not part of a petting zoo.  They are wild animals.  They do not pose for pictures.

We plan a leisurely day with a nice dinner this evening at the Ahwahnee.