As a land surveyor, I never know what I'm going to stumble upon. Some surprises are more welcome than others. Anyone with fear of creepy crawly creatures would never be able to handle my job. For example, one day I was on all fours creeping behind some shrubs searching for a boundary monument when I felt the familiar resistance of thick spider webs against my head. I recognized the web from its strength, a Black Widow web.
As I retreated from behind the bush, to remove my web covered knit cap, I discovered that my head was crawling with hundreds of tiny Black Widow babies that had just hatched. They were so cute. Fortunately, most of them were centralized on my knit cap, but a dozen or so made it to my hair. I used the mirror on my Brunton compass to search out the ones remaining in my locks.
Black Bears
Back in 1982 I worked for the US Forest Service, in the Dixie National Forest. One day, our survey party came across a sleeping baby Black Bear. One of the crew members prided himself on being a skilled rodeo clown, and took it upon himself to mess with the sleeping beast. I began thinking that maybe momma bear was near by, and wouldn't take too kindly to having her baby pestered, so I retired to the safety of the forest-green colored Chevy Suburban to view the spectacle. As Danny Brown the rodeo clown poked at the small bear, it awoke surprised, and began to pursue its taunter, chasing him through the woods. Fortunately, Danny Brown's rodeo clown training paid off, and he was able to scamper away to safety before momma bear showed up. I doubt he would have fared as well against her.
Meat Bees
Yellow Jackets, or what I affectionately call Meat Bees, are the meanest of all the winged creatures I've encountered so far. They're fast, and will attack with a vengeance. Once they mark you with a bite, others can easily seek you out and take part in the attack.
I didn't realize that I was standing directly over the entrance to an underground hive until it was too late. With a pant leg full of "biting bees", I ran as quickly as humanly possible to escape the angry swarm... slapping at the cruel creatures that continued to bite from inside my pants as I sprinted away to safety. Ouch!
Meat Bees (Yellow Jackets) going about their business in Aptos, California.
$nakes
Ronaldo Doolittle loves playing with snakes whenever possible. Here are a couple of different Rattle Snakes we've come across.
This beauty was stretched across Coyote Ridge Road in Aptos, California a couple of years ago. Ronaldo helped himself to a bit of a tug.
This four footer from Bonny Doon, California nearly got stepped on last week. Good eatin'!
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