National Geographic here I come! Okay, maybe not, but I did get a couple of cool photos while out in Chino Hills today. The first one is a deer's skull that was in the middle of the road. I walked right past this thing once without even noticing, probably because I was more interested in finding living animals. I came to a dead end in the trail and discovered the skull on my way back. There were chunks of skeletal remains scattered around the area including half a rib cage and a spine attached to a pelvic bone. The skull itself was only half intact. It looked like a pack of carnivores had done him in. The bones were not very large, so I suspect that the deceased was a juvenile. Poor little guy, but I bet the little ones are tastier.



So I continued on my journey along the Northridge trail. The hills were coated in tall, dry mustard plants. From a distance it looked like they had a soft, golden pelt rather than sheets of dead reeds. A man on a bike passed me and asked if I was from Denmark. It was the strangest thing, but he seemed a bit odd altogether. He stopped and asked me what I was taking photos of and warned me that the ranger was giving out citations because the park was actually closed today. I didn't care though, I'd take my chances. During our conversation he pulled a pair of heavy chaps from his backpack and began putting them on. I inquired, "Heading into rattlesnake country?" He claimed that a cow had gotten loose and was wandering on the hillside so he was tasked to retrieve it. "Be careful, and good luck!", I said. Chino Hills probably has the highest density of rattlesnakes per square inch than anyplace else on Earth.



Coming around a bend I noticed large patches of purple flowers. The bees were taking quite a liking to them so I took the opportunity to take some close up shots. A pair of mountain bikers coming uphill passed by me and exclaimed, "That sure looks more relaxing than what we're doing!". Indeed it was.





After a few hours my feet were hurting from walking uphill, carrying my camera gear. The skies were looking a bit scary. The last place I would want to be is in a lightning storm on top of a hill. So I turned around and started the walk out. I put my camera away so I could walk fast without it bouncing around my neck, and carried the tripod over both my shoulders. A middle-aged couple passed by and the woman said, "I didn't know if that was a rifle or a camera you had there!"
"I've got one of those too.", I said jokingly.
"Oh, you stop!" she giggled as they walked away.

I came to a long straightaway in the trail. Either side was lined with tall grass, forming roofless hallway. At the far end, about fifty feet away, I saw some animal moving across the trail. It was about the size of a medium dog. I thought it might be a coyote but the color wasn't right, and the way it moved was definitely feline. Then I was worried, because it could have been a mountain lion. So I kneeled down and got out my camera as fast as possible. I zoomed in all that I could, which wasn't much with the lens I had on. I could tell by the ears and spots that it was a bobcat. I felt relieved but still cautious. I wanted to get a photo before it was gone, but the zoom wasn't good enough. I needed my 300mm lens. I grabbed the lens from my bag and swapped it for the one I was using. It was probably the fastest lens change I had ever done. I managed to snap everything into the tripod and get a few shots off. The cat then jumped into the bushes. Wanting to get a better shot, I popped the camera out of the pod and tip-toed my way down the trail, but by the time I got there he was gone. I guess I'll be going back to this spot until I get that shot I was looking for.