1/30/2010

So now I’m sitting at “La Mission Villanueva” trying to pick up the internet signal from the nearby radio shack. Thus far I’m unsuccessful. The town of Springfield is small. The restaurant I’m sitting in only caught my eye because the rundown sign was marked “café.” I was hoping for coffee. And internet. Though it appears that we are too far away to glean wireless.

Yesterday we worked at the Forest Service work center, doing some chainsaw maintenance, installing radios in the trucks, and cleaning out the work center. Then we watched wild land fire fighting training videos. Not a lot of “getting things done” but we did also go through our fire line packs and make sure we have all the essentials (water, MRE, fire shelter, PPE, compass, fuzees, etc.) and discussed personal items we may wish to include (extra contacts, wool socks, spoons, peanuts, etc).

We have the next two days to spend in the lovely area of 8 miles outside Springfield. Thus far I have visited the local gas station, and this café. There doesn’t seem to be much more of substance in this town. Ayla called the library earlier in the week, and they are supposedly open for a few hours today. However they are currently not picking up the phone, and I don’t have high hopes for that entertainment venue. I’m secretly (ok, not-so-secretly) hoping to find somewhere to buy a couple used books. My book supply is already drying up, and that’s how I intended to entertain myself for another week. Strategy #2: Ask locals. (Strategy # 1 being find internet, use google). I should switch my strategy priorities, I think.

Next week we are relocating to another forest service house for projects in a new area. This new area is even further from civilization. There will be no town like Springfield to seek respite from team living. Russ remarked that we should “stock up on cigarettes before we leave” which leads me to believe there wont even be a gas station within our 25 mile driving distance.

Ok. No spot for used books in town (maybe the library…) I begin to suspect it will be a long weekend.

OH MY! I THINK I’m PICKING UP THE WIRELESS SIGNAL….I’m going to slowly inch toward the door, and hope my computer doesn’t realize what I’m doing…its not working…pretty soon Clay and I will relocate to the truck, which is parked pretty close to Radio Shack.