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          • Day 79: Schaeffer's Delight
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        • Amusement Park
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        • Day 20: Panty Wall
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        • Day 49: Ultraman
        • Day 50: Dog Wall & Fixx Cliff
        • Day 51: Tuna and Chips
        • Day 53: Viagra Towers
        • Day 59 Iron Man - Necco Waif
        • Day 80 - Tuna Cookies
        • Day 80 - Diamond Dance - The Oasis
        • Day 81 - CarlyQuinn Crag
      • Calico 2 (2nd Pullout) >
        • Day 13: Meetup & Black Corridor
        • Day 28: Retirement Plan
        • Day 52: The Walrus, Running Man, & Sweet Pain
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        • Day 56: Great Red Book Wall
        • Day 66: The Gallery
      • First Creek Canyon >
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          • Day 40: Falling Stars & Bad Moon Arising
          • Day 67: Smiley Face
        • Lotta Balls Wall >
          • Lotta Brews
        • Romper Room >
          • Day 42: Algae on Parade
          • Day 67: Romper Room 2
        • Schoolyard >
          • Day 44: School Yard 1 - Deja Vu & Short Subject
          • Day 77: School Yard -Sunday School & Dunce's Corner
          • Day 89: Schoolyard Bully
        • Slot Club Area >
          • Day 78: Escondite
        • Strawberry Hill >
          • Day 43: This Ain't the F'n Way!
      • Icebox Canyon >
        • Day 12: Sunnyside & Frigid Air
        • Day 39: Necromancer - Hop Route
        • Day 57: Tarkus Crack (Tiki Cliff)
      • Juniper Canyon >
        • Jackrabbit Buttress >
          • Day 16: Myster Z
          • Day 35: Mz. Why
        • Rose Tower >
          • Day 64: Canola Cracks
          • Day 87: Olive Oil
      • Kraft Mountain >
        • Day 6: Conundrum Crag
        • Day 7: Caligula Crag
        • Day 4: Three Peaks and Yin & Yang
        • Day 10: Winter Heat
      • Mt. Wilson >
        • Day 41: Limon
        • Day 72: Gentleman's Club - Silicone Sag
      • Oak Creek Canyon >
        • Day 37: Johnny Vegas
        • Day 65: Tan Line
        • Day 68: Byrd Pinnacle
      • Pine Creek Canyon >
        • Day 22: Mescalito E - Too Many Tantrums
        • Day 23: Mescalito E - Pauligk Pillar
        • Day 27: Straight Shooter Wall
        • Day 31: Robin Trowel (Abutment) & Stick Gully 1
        • Day 32-34: Flight Path
        • Day 34: Stick Gully 2 - Prelude
        • Day 36: Birdland
        • Day 38: Diarrhea Dialect (Bullnose Wall)
        • Day 48: Cat in the Hat
        • Day 62: Stick Gully - Box of Rain
        • Day 63: Cookie Monster
        • Day 69: Soloist Crack
      • Red Springs >
        • Day 2: Cowlick and Cannibal
        • Day 1: Cut Your Teeth, Hide & Seek, Happy Acres
        • Day 3: Dickies (Seems Like a Butt)
        • Day 8: Fringe
        • Day 5: Moderate Mecca
        • Day 9: Reptile & Fox Walls
        • Day 45: Gnat Man
        • Day 55: Coco Crag
        • Day 58: Ridinghood - In Through the Out Door
      • Sandstone Quarry >
        • Day 29: High Scalin'
        • Day 47: Man's Best Friend & Americrag
        • Day 66: Hall of Fame - Ms. Adventure
      • Southern Outcrops >
        • Day 70 & 71: Chocolate Rocks
        • Day 82: Illusion Crag - Part 1
      • White Rock Springs - Angel Food Wall >
        • Day 11: Group Therapy
        • Day 25: The Ledger
      • Willow Springs >
        • Day 15: Mother's and Outhouse
        • Day 18: Mossy Ledges - Pussy Nuts
        • Day 19: Mossy Ledges 2
        • Day 26: Graduate Cliff - Pre Skool Part 1 >
          • Day 46: Pre Skool Part Deux
        • Day 60 & 61: Graduate Cliff 2
        • Day 30 - Gold Digger
        • Day 61: Ragged Edges - Footloose
        • Day 62: Case Face - Space Case
        • Day 73: Ragged Edges Area
        • Day 74 Peaches (Children's Wall)
        • Day 75 N' Plus Ultra 1 - Geezer Face & Lucky Charms
        • Day 76: N'Plus Ultra 2 - Pillar Talk & Chocolate Tranquility Fountain
        • Day 84: N'Plus Ultra Part 3 - Cereal Killer
        • Day 84: Lost Creek Canyon - Grey Matter
        • Day 85: Communist Plan at Lost & Found
    • Meet Our Tools >
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        • Tankenstein Gets Gutted
        • Van Life: Rebuilding Tankenstein >
          • Glowing Disco Counter Top
          • Cold Food Storage
          • Bouldering-pad-bench
          • Insulation and Vent Fan
          • Quick Fixes
          • Kingsized Pullout Bed
      • Ultralight Exposure Protection Gear
    • For the Ladies >
      • Cry
      • Getting Women Climbing Outside
      • Women's Resources
    • Red Rock Canyon, NV >
      • Camper Van Epic in Vegas
      • Mapping with Lady Lockoff
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      • Caterpillars! Van Rescue!
      • Gram Parsons' Logbook
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    • Hmmm or Haha >
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Adventure Blog:


Oh Shi*! Bees!


Bees are beautiful and harmless (most of the time). The role they play in our ecosystems and food production are invaluable and at severe risk of being lost dues to the carelessness of what we place in our environment. We like bees.

As an outdoor enthusiast, I am not afraid of bees (well, most of the time). And as a man (haha!,) neither is Rick (well, most of the time). But we are not immune to the scary messages put forth by the media about invasions of killer bees that attack people in swarms. We are also not immune to visceral human reactions to the biggest f*ing swarm of bees either of us have heard and seen in our combined lives. (Hover over or click on images to see captions.)
Here's how it went:
  • We were mapping at White Tank in Joshua Tree, CA. During the entire drive into the park from the south end, we were awed by the amazing display of wildflowers.
  • At White Tank they had special, cute signs posted "WARNING: Thirsty Bees. May swarm vehicle looking for water." Other than making sure the windows and vents were closed on The Tiger, we really thought nothing of it.
  • While we were at a climbing wall marking locations, Rick looked to his right and said, "What is that?"
    • "What is what?" I replied making notes and taking photos of the location.
    • "That! To our right!" he said with a bit more intensity.
    • I looked up and noticed a deep buzzing sound and saw the swarm. I could feel my eyebrows raise and eyeballs pop-out. "Holy shit! Wow! That is cool! I wonder if I can get a photo." I tried to take a photo, zooming in as far as my iPhone would let me. None of the photos could capture the cloud of itty-bitty creatures, they were too small and the swarm was too far away.
    • So we kept working. Then, both of us noticed the sound getting closer. "Is that getting closer?" I asked, seeking confirmation that I wasn't just making stuff up.
    • "Yes, it is. And kinda fast." he replied with a seriousness verging on alarm.
    • "Oh my God..." (That seemed to be my phrase of the day...) "Do they have killer bees here?"
    • "I think so." Rick said, which immediately triggered the fight or flight reaction within us. Since we ain't gonna fight bees, we had one other choice - run! (Video: 0:33)
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  • Home
  • Buy!
  • Maps
    • Hiking
    • City of Rocks, ID - Climber's Map
    • Joshua Tree, CA - Climber's Map
    • Red Rock Canyon, NV - Climber's Map
    • Smith Rock, OR - Climber's Map
  • Map Details
    • Quality
    • Map Elements
    • Methodology
    • Environment
  • About
  • Blog
    • The 15-minutes from Red Rock Restaurant Tour >
      • Indian
      • Sushi
      • Vietnamese
    • WTF 5..7 Tour - Red Rock >
      • General >
        • The Plan
        • Managing the Desert Heat
      • Black Velvet Canyon >
        • Lazy Buttress/Whisky Peak E >
          • Day 79: Schaeffer's Delight
          • Day 83: Ballantine Blast
          • Day 86: Lazy Buttress (Climb)
      • Calico 1 (1st Pullout) >
        • Amusement Park
        • Day 17: Civilization
        • Day 20: Panty Wall
        • Day 14: The Slab
        • Day 21: Wall of Death & Hamlet
        • Day 24: Child's Play
        • Day 49: Ultraman
        • Day 50: Dog Wall & Fixx Cliff
        • Day 51: Tuna and Chips
        • Day 53: Viagra Towers
        • Day 59 Iron Man - Necco Waif
        • Day 80 - Tuna Cookies
        • Day 80 - Diamond Dance - The Oasis
        • Day 81 - CarlyQuinn Crag
      • Calico 2 (2nd Pullout) >
        • Day 13: Meetup & Black Corridor
        • Day 28: Retirement Plan
        • Day 52: The Walrus, Running Man, & Sweet Pain
        • Day 54: USS Crag & Tsunami
        • Day 56: Great Red Book Wall
        • Day 66: The Gallery
      • First Creek Canyon >
        • First Creek Slabs >
          • Day 40: Falling Stars & Bad Moon Arising
          • Day 67: Smiley Face
        • Lotta Balls Wall >
          • Lotta Brews
        • Romper Room >
          • Day 42: Algae on Parade
          • Day 67: Romper Room 2
        • Schoolyard >
          • Day 44: School Yard 1 - Deja Vu & Short Subject
          • Day 77: School Yard -Sunday School & Dunce's Corner
          • Day 89: Schoolyard Bully
        • Slot Club Area >
          • Day 78: Escondite
        • Strawberry Hill >
          • Day 43: This Ain't the F'n Way!
      • Icebox Canyon >
        • Day 12: Sunnyside & Frigid Air
        • Day 39: Necromancer - Hop Route
        • Day 57: Tarkus Crack (Tiki Cliff)
      • Juniper Canyon >
        • Jackrabbit Buttress >
          • Day 16: Myster Z
          • Day 35: Mz. Why
        • Rose Tower >
          • Day 64: Canola Cracks
          • Day 87: Olive Oil
      • Kraft Mountain >
        • Day 6: Conundrum Crag
        • Day 7: Caligula Crag
        • Day 4: Three Peaks and Yin & Yang
        • Day 10: Winter Heat
      • Mt. Wilson >
        • Day 41: Limon
        • Day 72: Gentleman's Club - Silicone Sag
      • Oak Creek Canyon >
        • Day 37: Johnny Vegas
        • Day 65: Tan Line
        • Day 68: Byrd Pinnacle
      • Pine Creek Canyon >
        • Day 22: Mescalito E - Too Many Tantrums
        • Day 23: Mescalito E - Pauligk Pillar
        • Day 27: Straight Shooter Wall
        • Day 31: Robin Trowel (Abutment) & Stick Gully 1
        • Day 32-34: Flight Path
        • Day 34: Stick Gully 2 - Prelude
        • Day 36: Birdland
        • Day 38: Diarrhea Dialect (Bullnose Wall)
        • Day 48: Cat in the Hat
        • Day 62: Stick Gully - Box of Rain
        • Day 63: Cookie Monster
        • Day 69: Soloist Crack
      • Red Springs >
        • Day 2: Cowlick and Cannibal
        • Day 1: Cut Your Teeth, Hide & Seek, Happy Acres
        • Day 3: Dickies (Seems Like a Butt)
        • Day 8: Fringe
        • Day 5: Moderate Mecca
        • Day 9: Reptile & Fox Walls
        • Day 45: Gnat Man
        • Day 55: Coco Crag
        • Day 58: Ridinghood - In Through the Out Door
      • Sandstone Quarry >
        • Day 29: High Scalin'
        • Day 47: Man's Best Friend & Americrag
        • Day 66: Hall of Fame - Ms. Adventure
      • Southern Outcrops >
        • Day 70 & 71: Chocolate Rocks
        • Day 82: Illusion Crag - Part 1
      • White Rock Springs - Angel Food Wall >
        • Day 11: Group Therapy
        • Day 25: The Ledger
      • Willow Springs >
        • Day 15: Mother's and Outhouse
        • Day 18: Mossy Ledges - Pussy Nuts
        • Day 19: Mossy Ledges 2
        • Day 26: Graduate Cliff - Pre Skool Part 1 >
          • Day 46: Pre Skool Part Deux
        • Day 60 & 61: Graduate Cliff 2
        • Day 30 - Gold Digger
        • Day 61: Ragged Edges - Footloose
        • Day 62: Case Face - Space Case
        • Day 73: Ragged Edges Area
        • Day 74 Peaches (Children's Wall)
        • Day 75 N' Plus Ultra 1 - Geezer Face & Lucky Charms
        • Day 76: N'Plus Ultra 2 - Pillar Talk & Chocolate Tranquility Fountain
        • Day 84: N'Plus Ultra Part 3 - Cereal Killer
        • Day 84: Lost Creek Canyon - Grey Matter
        • Day 85: Communist Plan at Lost & Found
    • Meet Our Tools >
      • GPS Units
      • Lifeproof Phone Cases
      • Van Life: Tankenstein >
        • Tankenstein Gets Gutted
        • Van Life: Rebuilding Tankenstein >
          • Glowing Disco Counter Top
          • Cold Food Storage
          • Bouldering-pad-bench
          • Insulation and Vent Fan
          • Quick Fixes
          • Kingsized Pullout Bed
      • Ultralight Exposure Protection Gear
    • For the Ladies >
      • Cry
      • Getting Women Climbing Outside
      • Women's Resources
    • Red Rock Canyon, NV >
      • Camper Van Epic in Vegas
      • Mapping with Lady Lockoff
      • Vegas-epic-2
      • Vegas Mini-epic 3: Really?!?
    • Joshua Tree, CA >
      • Caterpillars! Van Rescue!
      • Gram Parsons' Logbook
      • Oh Shi*! Bees!
    • Hmmm or Haha >
      • Althea Crag & Mapping Dog
      • Exposure!
      • Realities
      • Silliness
      • Utterly Heinous Approaches
      • Podcast Interview: Ogden OUtdoor Adventure
  • Contact
    • Feedback
  • Retail Stores
  • Media Coverage
  • Calendar