jippys022605

It rained and then rained some more and then even rained some more. It set a 100 year record for rainfall. And still it rained. But not on hunt day. Actually it did rain in the Hemet area for a couple hours, but not in Yucaipa where the hunt seemed to be located.

On the previous Monday, I threw my lower back into a tizzy. I have been suffering spasms since and now as the hunt approached, I was getting tired of all the sympathy and help I wasn't getting so I decided to go on the hunt although it would require hours of sitting and driving both of which was sure to bring on more spasms and discomfort. I could suffer, being the martyr that I am. At least I would be enjoying myself.

We had a long discussion at the start and at the end on the fact that the attendance on these alldays has been dropping and we see very few new folk trying to compete. We gotta solve this issue or I will be hunting no one and my coming in second will be hard to do.

Well after much pacing around at the start (to keep from sitting in the 4 runner) I got off to a bumpy start. I have the Streetpilot GPS and had it programmed with the shortest route to a number of waypoints along the way to various places. I had, along with Deryl and Doug decided to check out the signals at Green River and so that is where I picked to go. The shortest route took me on some very strange streets and places, and eventually took me Anaheim. Now the bearings were pointing at Sierra Peak. Now he hid there about a year ago. Hmmmm. Better eat lunch and think about this. Got out all the maps and tried to remember how I got up there. Decided to burp and proceed on to Green River. There I found a herd of horses and took some pictures and a lady selling flowers. The freeway was jammed going east. Oh yes, I heard three transmitters now, all up toward Big Bear. I am not going to Big Bear.

I went east alongside the freeway missing all the stopped traffic on the freeway. I got up to University and I knew it intersected with the 60 Freeway well past the clog that is always at the intersection of the 91 and 60. Sure enough I missed all that congestion but University was down to one lane and that ate up all the time I had saved by averting all that congestion. Might as well have stayed on the freeway.

Out the 60, through the badlands but but the signal was swinging to the north and I was stuck going east. Finally got out in Banning and went north up into Cherry Valley. Found a transmitter on the side of the road. Great, they are not up at Big Bear in all that snow. Must be more around here, but they (I hear 3 more) all seem to be north, more north than the roads go. Big Bear is north. I don't want to go to Big Bear. Too much snow and cold and stuff like that. Can't find any more transmitters in Cherry Valley so I went to Hwy 38 (it goes to Big Bear) and went up to Forest Falls. Now there was snow here (7800 ft) but no transmitters even north (toward Big Bear).

Went back to Cherry Valley and decided to go west and pick up one transmitter, T-20, which I assumed was the 10-20 of Dave/Melanie's house. It was now dark and it was on the way home. Found T-20 and T-10 in their front yard as well as some great ribs and salad.