[Leica] Leicas in the middle of nowhere

[pklein at 2alpha.com (pklein@2alpha.com)]

Hi, y'all!  I am on vacation right now, and want to relate an improbable
tale.

We went to the rim of Hell's Canyon, 6,000 feet above the Snake River at
the Northeastern corner of Oregon, on the Idaho border.  Drove 64 miles
from Enterprise, OR to get there, the last 14 miles on a truly amazing
gravel road, up, up, up in second gear, with lots of fresh air just off
the side of the road. I saw more wildflowers than I've ever seen before,
plus multitudes of butterflies everywhere.

The canyon was awe-inspiring. Hiked about all afternoon.  Just before we
headed back, we climbed the fire tower. As I get to the top, a voice calls
out, "Hi, come on in!" So I do. And the Forest Service guy looks at me and
says, "Say, is that an M6?"

Turns out he does photography when he's not in the middle of nowhere
watching for forest fires.  He has an M6, but that's at home. So I showed
him my M8, and he showed me his D20 with a big white 100-400.

Note well: The M8 shutter can spook deer, ground squirels and even the
occasional pocket gopher.  Although said critters were often too intent on
mooching our lunch to pay the camera much mind.

Everybody be good, I'll be back with pics in a few days.

--Peter

P.S. Tina and Sandy: So sorry to hear of your unfortunate encounters with
hard surfaces. Hope everything heals up nicely, and the experiences recede
in time to nothing more than a good story.