Tiger Refuge

Thanks a bunch. Seriously. I'm just glad I can pitch in my small part. Things are are marginally better. While things are more "normal", a lot of the precip fell in a short duration. Years of drought are difficult to erase. Plus, years of mismanaging ecosystems takes a while to "fix". And yes, fatty pine is an excellent fire starter. In fact, if one has lighter knot, one doesn't need much else to have a nice, roaring fire in short order. ETA-This picture was taken during the Rim Fire in 2013. At the time, it was the largest fire in CA history at just shy of 1/4 million acres. It was 'uge.

Your belief is correct. Fire out West is a whole 'nother beast. The fire in this picture was a backing fire. My 20 man crew spent a week prepping the fireline for the backfiring operation. The fuels in the park were astoundingly dry. Most of the unplanned ignitions out west the last few years have resulted in ecosystem altering fire effects.

With love, from Yosemite.

One more work pic, then I'll stop.

I guess my job is like a lot of professions, you gotta love it....and be a bit sick in the head to really enjoy it.

Yessir. I was working at a national wildlife refuge in the MS delta in Louisiana, wading through palmetto that was at times, head high. I couldn't have seen a bear until it was on my face. I HATE palmetto. Besides beating my legs and arms and ribs and crotch to pieces, it's a great substrate for guinea wasp nests....bad little bastards

Leaving tracks.

Southern Drawl by Great Raft. This used to be a lager. It's now a dry hopped Pilsner. Defreakinglicious. Looks like you are having a great beer trip, Shocks!

This whole exchange has reinforced this thread's status as "favorite" for me.

@McLoofus the juice is most definitely loose with Parish. They just did another release of their 4XDH Envie last week. Talk about juicy... This is another NC beer. It's a collaboration by all the breweries in the Asheville Brewery Alliance. Nice beer for sure. Tropical notes, very nicely carbonated. This was my first WW IPA. (The store owner promised it was a pre-sellout beer...didn't matter to me) Very nice. Had a good piney nose, nice bit of hop dankness...but not overpowering. My NC trip reminded me that my beer doesn't necessarily have to punch me in the face with flavor. I love my local beer to death, but they are riding the flavor wave pretty hard. It's nice to step back and enjoy a beer that's a little more subtle.

Got this one on my trip to NC. Not bad at all. Very nice balance between hop and malt.

I wish I could do a side by side taste comparison.

Uhhhhh....I gotta take a knee on this one. Freaking wow! Dank, juice, mouthwatering, citrusy, grapefruit, malty backbone. Lost a bit of the hop oil bite. Good Lord these people know what they are doing.

Unfortunately, my 4th plans got sucked sideways. So, I had to punt the GITM until tomorrow. It will happen then....oh yes, t'will.