Australians have told me that emus, being very curious, will pick up and swallow anything shiny or unusual. They say aborigines will kick and pick apart any emu poop they see to check them out for nuggets.

I saw a big brown hind end of what at first I thought was an elk, about 75 yards away. I was standing behind a large tree and stopped and peeked around the tree to see what it was.

The sound got quiet when the fuse burned down into the clay. I waited, and waited…

The temptation to enter the dark interiors beckoned to me before the day was finished but I resisted.

Making matters worse, we could feel the truck moving very slowly down the mountain along with the trees and mud. It was an uncomfortable sinking feeling, as you might guess.

I learned the next day that I was not the only one that had crossed paths with a bear. Dick told us about his harrowing experience from the previous night.

My right rib cage took the brunt of the blow from the fall, which left me feeling partially paralyzed and in immense pain.