The brains behind CocoaConf had the bright idea of holding a conference for iOS and Yosemite developers at Yosemite National Park. I spent Tuesday night delivering a talk on wearables. For the rest of the week I was listening to other people’s presentations (fabulous) and walking the trails of the park (spectacular). It was all quite brilliant thanks muchly to the lodge where the conference was held. It’s deep inside Yosemite and just fifty yards from a major trailhead, as opposed to "a quick ten minute walk to the shuttle bus that can get you to the forest in well under 30 minutes…oh, wait, we sold the last seat three weeks ago."
I was packing up my room early Thursday morning when I sensed movement outside my first-floor window. I padded out, still in the tee shirt and sleep shorts I’d worn to bed, and saw a small herd of deer foraging in the trees only twenty feet away from me.
I kept my distance, sure that my presence would spook them off. The park is quite stern about guests not feeding the wildlife. Unlike the squirrels in the Public Garden, the many critters of Yosemite National Park learn to file us under the category of "vaguely-threatening weirdos."
Well. Far from being scared away, they bedded down for a rest. This emboldened me to step back inside, put on shoes, and re-emerge with my camera and a long zoom.
I admire the lodge’s marketing team. They’re as ruthless as timeshare salespeople. They knew I had a great time all week long.
"I bet we can pre-sell this guy a whole week’s stay for next season," the sales manager said. "Send the Ridiculously Adorable Deer Herd to the meadow behind his room when he’s packing. Tell Gerry and Darlene that if they nuzzle each other and close the sale, it’s worth an extra 10% on top of their usual commission."
Okay, seriously…wow, did I have a fantastic time. Just as a dude walking around and enjoying nature, but then there’s the "dude with a camera" aspect. Every day and everywhere I turned, there was another amazing shot right in front of me and ten more that revealed themselves with just a little bit of exploring and climbing.
Posted by andyi on 2015-04-24 17:06:53
#Deer #Deer
Tagged: , Deer , Nature , Yosemite
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