Orange Trail Markers

[The Village Idiot]

Kudos to the forest service for the new orange trail markers. We motored by these trying to scope out the Obsidian Flat campground up Deadman Creek Road. My daughter asked what they were for. My wife replied, "The bears leave them as messages to each other". My wife pondered her colorful lie and corrected herself.

Isn't the first explanation more colorful? I grew up half believing some of the crazy things my mother told me about this area. The Slurry Monster washed his socks in the Owens Lake. I will not write in a public forum the legend I was told about the grain silos out in the desert.

Once I manage a good means of transporting the bikes with my tiny car, I will be looking forward to biking in more places than my limited range out of Bishop.

While on the way out onto the Mammoth Scenic Loop, we noticed the usual touring biker on the narrow road. They always seem mildly suicidal to me. Maybe us drivers should just give up and let it become a bike path.

*Deadman Creek Road - is between Mammoth and June Lake.

*Slurry - Going by my young miseducation, is liquid mineral waste that the Carbide mine used to generate. It was gray and clay like. I thought it smelled very bad but I believe that was Owens Lake itself.