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To continue on with the truck theme, we\u2019ve had some interesting issues figuring out the particularities of the Ford F 150 off road edition.\u00a0 At one point we got the transmission stuck in 4 WD low gear. This wouldn\u2019t be much of a problem but we usually take a freeway to get back from this site and didn\u2019t think we\u2019d survive on CA freeways driving under 45 mph! After consulting the WONDERFUL mechanics at the Wild Animal Park, we learned the trick to getting it to drop back into 2 WD is to put the truck in neutral and then PUSH it about 10 feet forward and then backward. It worked!\u00a0 That very same day, the driver\u2019s side door kept rattling as though it was loose, and when my fellow intern fiddled with the lock to correct it, it shifted into the lock position and then refused to close at all. What to do? An option would have been to drive all the 2 hours all the way back with the driver holding the door shut with her hand, or we could have bungee corded the door shut and wrapped it around the driver\u2019s head rest. But then that wouldn\u2019t be safe, and then the door handle would have slowly started to detach itself from the door\u2026 And then after inspecting another door to figure out how the doors locked, the driver\u2019s side backdoor was stuck open as well! The good news, is that we were able to procure a screw driver and after some fiddling, I fixed both doors and we drove home safely. J<\/p>\n
Another issue we\u2019ve been running into frequently are gates. We\u2019ve been locked out of gates unexpectedly and had to abandon collections at the site. Even more peculiar is getting locked INTO areas and not being able to exit. At one site, we entered the preserve through the main gate with our key and relocked it behind us as we normally do. A few hours later when we come to exit the area, we notice that our master lock has been removed and replaced by a shiny, new combination lock- of which we don\u2019t have the combination. We were able to get out when a border patrol officer drove by. This is when we learned that the new lock belonged to the Border Patrol. Why did they remove our lock and replace it with theirs? This is one mystery that has yet to be solved! A word of warning: be careful entering through gates that are open- but which can be locked. Getting locked in is no fun and dangerous.<\/p>\n
Other fun and scary things about field work in San Diego are rattlesnakes, of which we\u2019ve had several sightings and near misses, bobcats and earthquakes! We came here in the summer of earthquakes and have experienced 4 shakers in the past 4 months.<\/p>\n
<\/a>These boulders hide many rattlesnakes! <\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Nothing says fun like measuring cactus pads at 6 am !<\/p><\/div>\n
The underside of this lizard is so torquoise ! <\/p><\/div>\n This is our favorite coffee shop on the way to one of the field sites. <\/p><\/div>\n Angelique Herman<\/p>\n San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research<\/p>\n Escondido, CA<\/p>\n Blog #3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Second Law of Thermodynamics: Entropy ! What can go wrong, will go wrong…but it’s great! One of the aspects of field work that I love so much is that you can\u2019t really ever predict how a day will turn out.\u00a0 … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>