Lynx project has been cruising along, with plenty of poor habitat that we can zip through. Finished 44, 62, 79, and 67 points in the last four days, leaving 48 for tomorrow. We are now in an area with no maintained roads – most with down trees across them. Yesterday we tried to drive in from the west over an officially closed Forest Service road. We soon learned why it was closed – a nearly 40-degree slope near the top with uneven rocks. Kate tried it in 4-low and had all wheels spinning. We managed to back down to a level spot to turn around. Today I was driving and we tried to come in from the south, down an extremely steep hill down to a creek. Near the bottom there is a tight curve followed by a narrow stretch where the rear wheels slide sideways. I made it, but unfortunately forgot to turn the lights off, so when we got back to the truck at around 3 pm the battery was dead. We called Rusty and Lisa out to give us a jump – they seemed to enjoy the excuse to get out of the office and drive on some exciting roads. Rusty drove both trucks back up the hill, as Kate and I didn’t want to look stupid getting a government truck stuck or stalled with the bosses watching. Tomorrow we will make use of our ATV training and use the ATVs to get into the area from the south. Only 48 points left, so we should be able to finish. A good way to finish out a 50-hour week.
Just called Ryan – he had surgery yesterday, is recovering well, and expects to be back here on the 23rd.
Beautiful weather is still holding, but a chance of rain returns tomorrow.
