DON CAME TO VISIT

WELCOME, DON!

Ron's twin brother Don came from Minnesota for a visit.   He's always a pleasure:  easy to get along with, adaptable, and like all the Bauman brothers, easy to feed!

He arrived travel-weary Tuesday afternoon.  Getting up at 2:00 a.m. to catch a flight only gets more telling as one adds to one's lifetime mileage.  We took it easy on him that day.  

Wednesday he accompanied Ron on an "ordinary day".   First to the Adult Center to work out. Ron is friendly with the group that works out there regularly, so he invoked the time-honored twin-trick, which was to have Don dress in Ron's shirt and cap and fool the friends.  It always works, and did this time, too.  Everyone got a big kick out of it.  Grocery shopping and a stop at Bookman's, the local used book & trade store, rounded out the day.  That evening they went to Ron's table tennis practice.  It's a competitive group, so Don watched and chatted with other observers.

Thursday was bike (me) and hike (them) day.   As a somewhat early culminating event to summer biking, I decided on a one-way 20 mile ride on my favorite byway, Forest Road 700.  It took me from the beginning of FR700 near Kachina Village to Munds Park, requiring a pick-up at the terminus.  While I biked, Ron challenged Don with a hike in nearby James Canyon. 

The bike ride was long but without a lot of ups and downs, allowing me to fully enjoy the glory of early fall.  I finished with a smile!  

That afternoon, we packed for an overnight trip planned for the next two days.

We got an early start Friday to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Don had never been, and we anticipated fall colors to enhance his visit.  

We planned to spend the night at Jacob Lake Campground, and stopped there to claim our spot by setting up the tent.

The drive to the North Rim was indeed filled with fall colors.  There's still some standing dead trees left from past wildfires, giving a juxtaposition of past and present.

We enjoyed a view of part of the buffalo herd that roams this area.

Buffalo are not native to Arizona. They were introduced in the early 1900's with an eye to cross-breeding with cattle.  Eventually that small herd was turned over to the Game and Fish Department, which managed the herd outside the Park boundries.  Hunting pressure caused the buffalo to become wise to the virtual quality of the boundry, and their range expanded into the safety of the Park.  They're currently controversial in the Park, where their growing numbers and heavy grazing affects native grasses and causes erosion.

The North Rim...well, the Grand Canyon never disappoints.  

The San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff are in the background here.

Don was properly impressed (I think!).

 Saturday we arrived at the most anticipated event of this trip:  a release of three endangered California Condors at Vermilion Cliffs, about half an hour from our camp at Jacob Lake.  The California Condor restoration project is a testament to persistence.  In 1982, the remaining world population of 22 condors was captured and restoration began.  Condors are raised at the San Diego Zoo for the CA restoration effort, and Boise, ID at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey for the AZ and UT restoration effort.  The Vermilion Cliffs are home territory for the condors, and have elements that make release and monitoring activities accessible.  Young condors are released on an irregular schedule.  Releases are always announced in the local Flagstaff newspaper, and the public is invited.  Ron and I were pleased when we found out a release was scheduled while Don was here.  

We found out the release site was about a mile away from the viewing site, so we brought binoculars.  The viewing site and the event were well organized.  There were a few vendors present, both informational and raising funds for the cause.  There was a fair sized crowed, especially for how remote the location is.  

There were plenty of staff present to answer questions.  Someone would ask, then a group would quickly gather to listen to the fascinating process of restoring an endangered species.  The major cause of fatalities in condors is lead poisoning.  Being scavengers, they eat carcasses, including those of animals shot with lead ammunition.  The reduction of fatalities for this reason is being addressed in two ways.  The first is hunter education, including graphic evidence of how lead shatters in the carcass of game animals.  There is also an ammunition exchange program:  hunters turn in their lead ammunition and receive copper or steel ammunition in return.  There has been a high level of voluntary compliance among hunters.   The second way lead poisoning is being addressed is the monitoring of blood levels in individual birds.  Each year, each condor is captured at the release site (guess that makes it a release/capture site), tested for lead levels, and treated with chelation therapy if necessary.   This level of commitment is astounding, but necessary for the goal of establishing a self-sustaining population.

Here's an illustration of the relative size of the condor:

Now I didn't exactly think a condor release was going to be like the dove releases done at weddings, but I didn't imagine it would be as anti-climactic as it was.  The release pen, just below the top of the cliffs, was impossible to find with binoculars.  Fortunately, generous people set up spotting scopes for anyone's use. 

Once spotted with a scope, it was possible to find the pen with binoculars or a zoom lens.  Ron was able to get this photo of the release pen.

  When the time came to open the pen door, we were told to keep our expectations in rein.  The birds would come out when they were ready.  A few minutes, a few hours, the next day.....oh.  Also, there were other condors flying in the area, as there is a constant source of food available.  When the newly released condors came out of the pen, it was hard to tell the difference between them and the already flying condors.  Perhaps if you stayed glued to a scope, you'd be able to see the birds leaving the pen.  As it was, we were satisfied with the massive amount of information we gleaned, as well as being present for such an admirable endeavor.  

Ron took this picture of an adult condor on a bridge girder about an hour from the release site. 

We declared Sunday an R&R day.  We stayed around the house, chatted, watched a movie.  That evening was the blood moon, so we drove to the front of Kachina Village and watched.  Ron took this photo:

and he and Don composed this one:

Monday started out with a literal bang:  an earthquake!  It was short but definite.  We didn't order it for Don, but it was a cool coincidence.

That afternoon we drove to the north side of the Peaks for some fall color, and found it at Lockett Meadow.

The parking lot had the most color:

The Inner Basin showed its promise:

Tuesday Ron and Don made another Bookman's run and watched another movie while I went about my separate business.  We rejoined for dinner and a TV episode of one of Ron's favorite shows, The Voice.  Don has remained loyal to American Idol, but seemed to enjoy this venture into new territory.

Wednesday morning, Don left for home.  From Phoenix to Minneapolis via Los Angeles-go figure.

A most enjoyable visit!

  You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” 

                                                                                      ― Frederick Buechner