I drove out into the wild country at the end of Wildcat Canyon this morning with friends and did a long walking tour of the wildlife out there. It is fascinating to see how the area has recovered from the infamous Cedar Fires of 2003. Except for the occasional stark chartred skeleton of a former tree, you would never know there had been a fire there; it is in full verdant bloom. The naturalist at the reserve (Silverwood) is a remarkable and highly talented man whose description of the sequences of destruction and regeneration was abosultely fascinating. The hills out there are littered with rounded granite outcroppings that look like they were sprinkled from a cosmic shaker (but they weren't--they emerged and weathered).

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