naomi 343 Posted February 24, 2022 Last summer there was a couple+ weeks in CA that the national forests were closed to recreation. The reason given was fire danger, and some people in counties who are used to discerning the threshold of danger it takes for strong precautions to be enacted were taken aback. It seemed unusual to them and like a big overreaction. Anyway, that's not really what my post is about (but perhaps there is some relevance). On a Sunday, my friend and I went to the Sonora pass area which is pretty remote. We were passing closed off access point after closed off access point and wound up pulling just off the road near a trail head. We noticed while sitting down, like 40 feet from the highway, on a rock, that there had actually been ribbon cordoning off the area we were in. Someone/a vehicle had torn it away. We were just chilling for quite a while there. Across the highway from us was a small parking lot for the trail head and the three vehicles parked at it all had notices on them. They were going to be towed if not removed in x amount of time. One of the vehicles was a nice, big pick-up truck. Out of the blue, a lean 40-something year old Chinese man with a professional camera with a big lens was walking up behind us, coming off the trail. He moved fairly quickly but he was also taking pictures of seemingly everything. Landscape, stuff up close, stuff on the ground, mundane stuff. Snap, snap, snap, snap.. He got close to us taking a bazillion snaps and we just sat and watched. He acted as if we were not there at all. Once almost at the highway he turned around and took many more snaps, including several with us in the center (probably for the rock). He didn't strike me like a beefy pick-up truck kind of guy but he did wind up getting into it and leaving. The guy seemed like he was on a mission that wasn't travel blogging, that wasn't to document a hike. It felt and looked forensic. I also got the vibe due to his demeanor that he wasn't assimilated to American culture per se. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,631 Posted February 24, 2022 https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-meme/8a061b1c-fc69-47e9-89d2-9a1a5568ee88 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,165 Posted February 24, 2022 My vibe from that is the Chinese are planning to buy that land. :dunno: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimmySmith 2,782 Posted February 24, 2022 13 minutes ago, jerryskids said: My vibe from that is the Chinese are planning to buy that land. :dunno: Most likely already have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNewGirl 1,018 Posted February 24, 2022 46 minutes ago, TimmySmith said: Most likely already have. Right? I could totally see Newsom selling CA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SUXBNME 1,319 Posted February 24, 2022 1 minute ago, TheNewGirl said: Right? I could totally see Newsom selling CA. He already sold his soul, why not CA? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,165 Posted February 24, 2022 Although she said national forests, not state parks. I have a hard time believing the feds would sell national forests to a foreign country. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naomi 343 Posted February 24, 2022 Honestly, we were both thinking it was possibly foreign military reconnaissance. The vibe I had, given his cold feeling, swift, yet thorough execution of what he was doing...and maybe too much of this is power of suggestion, was not purchasing interest. Getting an incredibly thorough understanding of the lay of the land/visually stitching the area. We were at the peak of the pass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,165 Posted February 24, 2022 Just now, naomi said: Honestly, we were both thinking it was possibly foreign military reconnaissance. The vibe I had, given his cold feeling, swift, yet thorough execution of what he was doing...and maybe too much of this is power of suggestion, was not purchasing interest. Getting an incredibly thorough understanding of the lay of the land/visually stitching the area. We were at the peak of the pass. Funny, I was going to make a "prepping for Red Dawn invasion" comment, but it would have been snarky, not sincere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naomi 343 Posted February 24, 2022 It had a very cold and weird feeling. But that's not exactly a rationale analysis, I realize. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,631 Posted February 24, 2022 2 hours ago, wiffleball said: https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-meme/8a061b1c-fc69-47e9-89d2-9a1a5568ee88 Aw, cmon people! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MTSkiBum 1,593 Posted February 24, 2022 3 hours ago, wiffleball said: https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-meme/8a061b1c-fc69-47e9-89d2-9a1a5568ee88 Actually, your post was pretty good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twinsdad 44 Posted February 25, 2022 Between Google Earth and Street View, let alone the more powerful satellites the Chinese probably have, I doubt there is any need to have someone on the ground taking pictures for that type of reason. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shorepatrol 1,735 Posted February 25, 2022 5 hours ago, jerryskids said: I have a hard time believing the feds would sell national forests to a foreign country. Hard time believing this admin would ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,165 Posted February 25, 2022 7 minutes ago, shorepatrol said: Hard time believing this admin would ? Well, I believe Biden might do it and forget. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naomi 343 Posted February 4, 2023 On 2/24/2022 at 1:48 PM, naomi said: Honestly, we were both thinking it was possibly foreign military reconnaissance. The vibe I had, given his cold feeling, swift, yet thorough execution of what he was doing...and maybe too much of this is power of suggestion, was not purchasing interest. Getting an incredibly thorough understanding of the lay of the land/visually stitching the area. We were at the peak of the pass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mookz 1,287 Posted February 4, 2023 8 minutes ago, naomi said: Hopefully he didn't catch you hunched over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naomi 343 Posted February 4, 2023 Just now, Mookz said: Hopefully he didn't catch you hunched over. This took me a second..(sounded sexual) Also, I hadn't thought of that possibility! So many snaps! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craftsman 1,045 Posted February 4, 2023 It is good to know that if an invading force were to take over that area, they would get back to the parking lot to find all their vehicles towed. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
