SCICON, my residence for a year

SCICON is the Outdoor School of Science and Conservation operated by Tulare County Office of Education. SCICON is located eight miles above Springville, a welcoming town in the foothills of eastern Tulare County at an elevation between 2000 and 3500 feet above sea level. Within this 1100-acre campus are many miles of hiking trails, a museum of natural history, planetarium, observatory, raptor center and amphitheater for evening activities. Twenty cabins enrich the campus as housing for students, and two big wood houses are used by permanent staff and visitor teachers . The picture above shows the intern house, where I lived until June 2007 with other 9 guys. Downstairs, all men had their rooms, whereas the upper floor had been assigned to the female interns. My room was the second from the right.

Friends and much more

These were all my work mates at SCICON:

On top from left to right: Stein, Nicolette, Sonia, Leo, Katie, Nicole, Danny and Alex. On the floor: Jared and myself

Most activities in SCICON take place in the outdoors and along hiking trails. There are some pre-established instructional trails, as bird watching, rock cycle and geology, forestry, astronomy and an aquatics trail. However, some other hikes are optional and in general they require a good amount of energy and stamina. Among them, the most challenging is "Sky Trail", an excursion to the top of one of the hills at about 330 feet high from sea level. The first time I hiked to the top, I almost passed out. However, not without a great effort ,I finally achieved my purpose. Why so difficult? Well, the thermometer displayed 39 degrees Celsius (103 degrees F) !!!!! The picture shows me fit and radiant with some students in front of the Hermit's cabin at the top of the mountain in a rainy day during the winter. Such a difference!

The Rainbow bridge is one of the several wood crossings over the creeks that come from the top of the sierras. It can be found in one of the long trails used for the geology and rock types instruction. I am enjoying the landscape.

When someone takes a picture and you are not ready, this is what happens. Well, well...a moment of joy with Katie.

Balch Park at Sequoias National Forest

On the 19th August, after finishing our training as interns in SCICON, we were invited to spend a day at Dianne Shew's packing station in Balch Park. Dianne is one of SCICON's naturalists and has been running this packing station for more than 20 years at the foothills of Sierra Nevada, amongst hundreds of ancient giant sequoias. In the picture, I am taking my first steps towards a great riding on the hills. Dianne is helping me to adjust the saddle.

Giant sequoias are a true natural inheritance for mankind. Most of these amazing trees are millennial and many of them exceed their 3000 years of age.

They may reach more than 300 feet in height and the total volume of their trunks is not beaten by any other species of trees. Some sequoias measure up to 40 feet in diameter, as measured at the base of the tree.

What a Christmas gift!!!

For Christmas we met at Nancy Bruce's home in Springville (Nancy is the lead teacher for the new built village). One of the highlights of the night was a game called a White Elephant . Everyone had to bring a valuable present, which had though been laying at home in some corner without any kind of use. Then, we had a chance to choose and ....this is what I've got!! How do I look in it?

The season of the salamanders

The California newts are a type of orange colored salamanders that live in the mountainous regions of the state. During the summer and automn they are observed in the streams as little tadpoles of aquatic life. However, as they start growing up, they appear walking on the trails both at day and night time. After the first winter rains, they migrate back to water to breed.They are resistant to predators because they elaborate a very powerful toxin .They are very sensible to pollution in water courses and at present they are a concern species in California. "Sally", as we nickname it at SCICON, is one of the most characteristic little animals of the site.

Sally wants to escape from my hand.

The Flower Festival

On April 15, the Annual Barbecue and Wildflower Festival was hosted at SCICON. Families from all over the county come for this traditionl event that has been taking place for almost 50 years Hundreds of species of wildflowers bloom all around the campus, giving one of the best spectacles I've ever seen.

The SCICON staff voluteered for guiding hikes and showing this natural wonder to the visitors . There were some exhibitions and musical performances, as well. The meal consisted, as every year, of a delicious deep pit barbecue. The dark side? Well, as uncommon as it usually is by this part of the world, the rain put in an appearance and soaked the enthusiastic participants. But when the heart is big, nothing can ruin a real party and flowers looked more lively than ever under the drops falling form the sky.

The end: Awards Ceremony

On June 2nd we were invited to the annual banquet organized by the Friends of SCICON. In this traditional event, all the ones that have helped to make of SCICON a greater experience each day during the year, receive some special awards. Of course, the "interns" were the first to get a recognition and after the short ceremony we proudly showed our trophies to the camera.

Some faces could not possibly hide the emotion. Sonia and I bursted into tears as Diane (SCICON's Lead Teacher) was talking marvellous words about our jobs and careers.

I've got my award from Rick's (SICON Director's) hands with great happiness and pride.

But not everything was about weeping interns. Not at all. Dinner was a big part of that unforgettable evening. Or do you think Norm would have been happy without his dessert?

Vacations weekend: Rafting in the Kern river

Our last activity altogether, interns and staff, was going for an amazing weekend to the mountains where Rick and Randy have a cabin in the middle of nature. After an evening barbecue, we spent the night at the cabin and on the following day we headed to the other side of the range for an unforgettable rafting experience.

The Kern River drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains . Fed by snowmelt , the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and kayaking.

Kernville is a small community near the rapids area and it was formed as a consequence of a 1848 gold rush. The town has since continued to maintain its gold rush and old west roots to attract tourists and take advantage of nearby natural scenery and activities.

The weekend would not have been complete without some mountain golf. The expert, Randy, made a demonstration of her skills whereas Alex tried his best to make of me a new star of the Ladies PGA but unfortunately, he couldn't achieve his purpose...