Dead Doe Redemption, Part 1: Cross-Continental

My fourth trip to Catalina has come and gone.  It remains an island of incredible beauty, annoying frustration, and serene peace.  But, let me start at the beginning.

My third trip was during this past summer, the first time I'd taken my husband over with me.  It was the impetus for starting this blog, although other reasons have helped continue it.  On returning, my distant cousin George expressed a huge desire to accompany me back, with the express purpose of hunting.  He and I made plans for months, probably talking to each other more on a weekly basis since we have since we were kids.  He procured a very nice rifle case, and I dropped Aunt Mary's .270 off with him over T-day so he could bring it along with his dad's old Ruger rifle.

Now, George and I have known each other since we were in our early teens.  My mother and his father also knew each other in their early teens, not sure what happened then but whatever it was she irately forbid him from talking to me when he came home and said he'd met Jr. (we are not related through her side).  Somehow I quickly won her over in person though, and their family has definitely been good friends to my brother and I since. 

Cousin George and I flew out from our respective local airports on the 4th of December, making a rendezvous in ATL.  Our flight took us right over Guadalupe Mountains National Park, where I hiked and camped back in late April (I'll post some flashback pics one day).  Like Miley, we hopped off the plane at LAX, with a dream (but sans cardigan).  Blessedly soon, I was sipping a Bloody Mary (or two) and watching the 26 miles slip away.  No blue whales this time, but plenty of porpoises and a few sea lions.

We were met by a kind friend we made the last trip out, and after tooling about for a while waiting around to collect another Middle Ranch tenant we were off, climbing those crazy roads at night.  Reunions were made, arrangements were made.  The next two nights were great tent weather, and I was set up in luxury accommodations in the back yard.   Later in the week the weather got chilly and they let me inside, but let me tell you, friendly reader, camping is fine there.  In FLA we have possums, coons, armadillos, coyotes, owls, and rats, and that's if you are lucky and its not hot enough for the frogs and hordes of inverts to take off.  A cacophonous mess.  In Middle Ranch in December, there is silence.  Unless there is a bison, but they were holding up elsewhere that night.

Unlike later in the week when they were in the front yard eating the oxalis