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SARS CoV2 aka COVID-19: The Case for Reopening Parks
Related: Alabama Hills, Eastern Sierra, Mt Whitney area, SARS-CoV-2 aka COVID-19 aka Coronavirus
Locally here near Lone Pine, CA (near Mt Whitney), two locals have differing opinions on the closure of Alabama Hills, where social distancing means 100 yards or more typically.
One longtime local (a friend in his late 70's) objects strenuously to the closure.
Another relatively recent local (a federal employee, and half his age) supports the closure, on the basis that keeping it open would bring an influx of visitors. That’s a debatable point, but I think it is more of paper logic than meritorious in the real world, given that the people who visit the wide open spaces out here spend very little time in town. And the entire area is almost entirely dependent on tourism, so it’s hardly fair to those who need to earn a living, and when spring and summer are peak season.
Just yesterday, I bought some groceries at a local market. Eight of ten people were not wearing masks and all eight were either obese or old. I just cannot take the foregoing logic seriously given the flaunting of the statewide advisory to wear a mask. The store staff themselves wear mostly useless surgical masks (dirty and pulled down below the nose most of the time), and wear them all day with dirty gloves too. If anything, they will be the vectors for transmission. So I’m not 'buying' any of it.
Here is an article that bears on the issue of parks in general:
VOX: The case for reopening America’s parks
I am very unhappy about being evicted and locked out of the Alabama Hills. Resupplying every 10-14 days an hour to the south in Ridgecrest poses zero risk to the locals. As you can see, my presence presents a clear and present danger to everyone two miles on out.
Fujifilm GFX100 + Fujifilm GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR @ 205.5mm equiv (250mm)
ENV: Alabama Hills, altitude 5300 ft / 1615 m, 45°F / 7°C
RAW: Enhance Details, LACA corrected, distortion corrected, vignetting corrected, pull 0.66 stops, +40 Shadows, +60 Whites, +30 Dehaze, +20 Clarity, USM {10,50,0}, SmartSharpen{40,0.8,20,0}
[low-res image for bot]
Fujifilm GFX100 + Fujifilm GF 45-100mm f/4 R LM OIS WR @ 82.2mm equiv (100mm) + polarizer BT4
ENV: Alabama Hills, altitude 5200 ft / 1585 m, 52°F / 11°C
RAW: LACA corrected, distortion corrected, vignetting corrected, push 0.1 stops, +100 Shadows, +60 Whites, +20 Dehaze, +20 Clarity
[low-res image for bot]
