Tuolumne Meadows

TUOLUMNE MEADOWS

I handled my customary morning ritual, letting Pharah out and using the restroom myself. The doorbell sounded. I left Pharah outside and answered the door. At first glance, he was wearing a uniform and I thought he was a police officer. At a second glance, I can see that he represented an agency like animal control. Where I was currently living, it was not really a city, but a type of territory, a part of the county mostly. “Ma’am, do you own a pit bull terrier that was involved in a confrontation recently with a neighbor’s dog?” The man said with a cocky air, his leg hiked up one stair, and his hand firmly gripping the porch railing with some sort of heart-shaped locket dangling from his neck. I felt my throat lock and the courage that I had mustered to get out of bed this morning was now being crushed by the wish to escape this conversation. “Yes,” I replied, "what can I do for you?” I am here about the complaint that your animal attacked a dog and I want to be sure that this said animal is currently in your control. I also want to let you know that your animal will need to be either surrendered or you must apply for a Potentially Dangerous Animal (PDA) permit in order to keep her.” I just stood there dumbfoundedly unsure as to whether I should thank him. Why would I want to thank him for such bad news? Instead, my reply was that I understood. “Any questions ma’am?” Without looking back I answered, “no, no questions.” I quickly entered the house, closed and locked the door.

Since I gathered the courage to get out of bed, I need to gather the courage to finish the day. Food and water are paramount. In the middle of a catastrophic pandemic situation, animal authorities have time to pursue a complaint== shaking my head in disbelief. I let Pharah in again, grateful that my self-pity had passed. She was doing that wagging thing that I loved so much. Where she wags so hard that her whole body forms a “U” so her head practically meets her tail. “I love you too, Ms. Thing.” I Gave her a hearty breakfast and ate a hearty breakfast myself. I cleaned up then sat at the table with a checklist. “Things to get done today. #1, find camping equipment, #2 barbeque the meat that is thawing out because the lights still haven’t come on,” #3 Pack a to-go-bag, #4 Write another to-do list of everything I may need.

Time Shift

I bravely opened my eyes and jumped up. It’s odd to wake up in unfamiliar surroundings. I will never get used to it. After the world imploded on itself, it's a wonder that I want to wake up at all? Because I jumped awake, Pharah jumped up and was ready at attention. When she noticed I was beginning to relax my body and lay back down, she did the same. My inner voice asks too many questions, like why do I keep running or keep moving? The resounding thoughts that answer are that movement is life and knowledge is strength. I figure the more I know about an area, the more likely I will be able to help myself in the future, perhaps others as well. I have yet to see another person in the last 20 days. I felt a logic circle forming, what is the purpose of life if you don’t have anyone or any connection to humanity? I have to be honest with myself, poise myself as brave. “I am running because I am scared.” There it is, out loud, in the open so that everyone and everything can hear. I’m running for pure survival. Is it enough to just survive the end times alone? I can choose now to stop running and try to build something here and now. Maybe I could go out and find my family and others, vet them and bring them here to live, establish a new community. Despite my fear, I finally established an inner agreement that turns up the corner of my lips. Pharah seems to be very sensitive to my emotional needs. She looked at me with a long lingering stare. “Dammit, come on girl let’s go.”

We went out into the moist fresh morning air. The forest has the freshest air. We started out on the trail close to the cabin. I have a taste for fish. I pulled out the area map I acquired and pinpointed a good spot to fish. I got the needed equipment out of the Gladiator. I packed light because I really didn't want to exhaust myself. We started out and as usual, Pharah took the lead. It’s interesting how when we were caged people, I didn’t want her to go out in front of me, now, I wouldn’t want it any other way. She crossed me several times going into the adjacent brush and then again to the other side. Is this skill inert? How did she know that this is the best way to secure the area for me? “If I haven't told you Pharah, I am impressed with your Bullyishness.” If that is even a word. We made it to the end of the trail reaching a blissful small river stream with standing pools. “Let’s try our luck shall we.” My goal is to catch as many fish as I can to put them in that storage locker back at the cabin. Remembering that I need more gasoline to fill the generators, I’ll handle that task next when I get back. I have so much energy now that I had that serious talk with myself. My fishing pole began to tug and I grabbed it up and began reeling it in, “I got it Pharah, I got one!” Pharah didn’t waste any time but entered the water and got a hold of the fish. She went under and I nearly dropped the pole when that happened. She came up again and this time I think she had a good hold on the fish. She swam a little, then walked it all the way to shore. She dropped it and I quickly bagged it. Her eyes met mine and her tail wagged with pride. “What a good girl, right, I’m such a good girl, right," she said with her eyes. I laughed wholeheartedly. We’ve done this before, but something about my new resolution has made every moment since inspiring.

Time Shift

Okay, girl, what else is on our list. To go bags. Again, no electricity so no washing anything. I gathered towels, some sheets, an air bed (which required electricity), a small tent and large tent, a cooler, chair, walking poles, ten days' worth of clothing, dog bowls, filled water jugs, blankets, and oh yah something to read. I have some books on my shelf that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. One entitled, “New Complete Do-it-Yourself Manual, others like, Purpose Driven Life, Rock and Gems, and finally, What’s it like being you.” Of course, I drive a Kia Soul, which means It’s going to be tough getting all this in there.

The meat was done and I just washed all the raw vegetables that were in the refrigerator. I think if I keep them wet in the kitchen sink they will last a few days. That evening Pharah and I had roast beef and carrots with slices of buttered bread. Well, I had slices of buttered bread. Pharah sometimes ate raw veggies, and she humored me and did so. I packed up the rest of the vittles in an ice chest with thawing bags of peas, spinach, and strawberries. Starting to wonder about my neighbors. I am not very neighborly, but I wonder about them. Tomorrow, if the lights don’t come on, I’ll make my rounds.

Time Shift

Pharah and I hauled four whole fish back to the cabin. One was definitely for dinner and the others will be placed in the freezer after cleaning. I do not like cleaning fish, again, I do not like cleaning fish. If Pharah had thumbs, I would ask her to do it. No time to be squeamish kinda like people who cannot stand the look of worms or feces in a toilet. I have to do what I have to do. I found some very sharp knives in the cabin to my relief, because I really didn’t want to use either of my favorite knives I carried daily to cut the fish up.

I cut off the head first, then finished up each of the four fish. Wrapped three of them in paper using some paper bags that were tucked in a drawer and placed three in the freezer. The cellar area gave me the creeps, so every time I had to enter, I urged Pharah to go before me using the command, “get the rat!” As usual, there was nothing to be found, but it helped me with my nerves. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been alone, certain things still kind of give me the creeps.

I checked my insides one more time and thought about how I could make this a place where like-minded people could reside. I kinda wondered what was going on in the world. What if I have overblown this situation, perhaps martial law was no longer going on and everyone was back to their day-to-day lives. Yes, I think I’ll stake this place for myself and go back to society to see what’s going on. I unlocked the tanks to the gasoline pump and filled the containers then went back to the cellar to fill the generator reserve that was keeping the refrigeration system going. I decided that I would cut the power to the other generator, but will fill it when I get back to keep the lights and other facilities on. Pharah was politely laying down on the carpet in the cabin as if she knew this was something she really couldn’t assist with. She might as well cross her paws and sip some coffee because that look on her face was excruciatingly funny.

I packed up the Ator with the necessary supplies for our backtrack trip. I put a long posting on the cabin door so that others will know that I will return in a few days. I want any strangers to be wary about setting up shop here. I got out the map because mapquest is no longer an option. Tuolumne Meadows sure is a beautiful place. Pharah and I are different people now, yes, I said people, we are a pack, a family. If I choose to recognize Pharah as a person, who will beg the difference.

We will take Highway 120 (according to my previous markings) back through Groveland avoiding the Southern parts of Highway 99 beyond Merced. The factions that I ran into on the way up here were unfriendly, lawless even. They had lots of guns and a new level of power. If I were childbearing age, I think they would have pursued me after I escaped them. They were all Hells Angels types. A wannabe group really. Their rules mirrored the Angels to some extent, like, to be a part of the faction, you had to be voted into the group. It was clear that it was a brotherhood, not a sisterhood. Women were kept at another site altogether. They were also into enforcing their own laws. As I said, I can avoid them altogether if I don’t pass Merced. Feeling satisfied with the plan, Pharah and I started out. I looked at her in the rearview mirror, I think she was smiling, she was definitely smiling.