Oh deer...er, dear. It's been three weeks since my last blog post. I have a good excuse. I was having fun.
Rushing mountain water is very cold. Standing on the top of a mountain as a lightening storm rolls in is rather impressive. I enjoyed watching a hawk in flight and waking up in the middle of the night as some type of wildlife rummaged through the campsite. I even enjoyed the hailstorm, except for maybe the part about wondering whether the tent would be gone when it was all over. I saw loads of deer (including the one that rummaged through the campsite), a bear (it looked at me and was obviously sniffing for beef jerky. Fortunately I wasn't the one carrying it.), lots of cold rushing water and water falls, and even a skunk (see reduced picture).
My favorite find was this very unusual looking mushroom.
It was huge as well as being a bright yellow-orange color. After a bit of Googling I think I've got it identified, but if any of you out there really know mushrooms and can tell me for sure I'd appreciate it. I think it's a jack o'lantern mushroom (omphalotus illudens) which is known to be toxic. Somehow it seemed rather fitting that poisonous plants should be part of a forensic psychiatrist's vacation experience. There were no historical prisons in the mountains, so I had to find something forensically relevant.
I lurve the mountains, and camping! Except when I'm bouncing along on a primitive washboard dirt road in the back country of Utah's Capitol Reef in the far back seat of a minivan with a possibly dislocated knee propped up on a water jug, and trying to learn to cable AND learn to cable without a cable needle, on a headband I was knitting, whilst my 70-yo dad is driving like a madman far faster than one should along this terrain, and when you hit a big bump everybody in the farthest back seat fly all akimbo.
ReplyDeleteNothing like a challenge, to get me going!
Camping is goooooood.
Those are your toes! I'd know them anywhere. I can't believe you posted a photo of your naked tooties toes, what's next?
ReplyDeleteAmazing mushroom. Sounds like a great trip. Shrink Rap is making me think I need a vacation!
ReplyDeleteClink,
ReplyDeleteYou're safe. I double checked the poll, and there were no foot fetishists!
Glad you have fun....interesting fungi. Not the feet, the tree.
Lily