Random crap with Uno.

[Unorthodox]

Started watching Legend of Superstition Mountains on History with my daughter. 

She's sat with me through the Oak Island and In Search of Giants (it was such a horrid train wreck of an idea I had to watch) "documentaries" on History as well.  Fascinated with these searching for thing shows.

This one is very much in the vein of Oak Island in that it's CLEARLY a couple guys getting History channel to pay for their expedition.  However, at least the first couple episodes at least were far more interesting than Oak Island episodes.  They still have some of that annoying 'lets recap the entire series after every commercial break' crap that History loves to do to fill dead space, but they seem to have more ACTUAL things to show so there's much less of it than Oak Island. 

What's been entertaining the most is that they are actually following theories and various maps and 'signs' fairly swiftly.  By episode 2, they declared the first map pointing to a known mine that has been played out, "clearly not the lost dutchman mine".  They're now off to a second theory/map. 

This REALLY has my daughter's attention, and I quote her opinion:  "This is much better than those other shows, at least they are actually FINDING things even if there is no gold, not just digging around every hole they find."

[Buster's Uncle]

Mummy mystery lingers on daunting Mexico peak
AFP
By Yemeli Ortega  14 hours ago



Picture taken from Tlatichuca, Mexico, on March 13, 2015 of the Pico de Orizaba mountain, where two mummified bodies were found, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Ronaldo Schemidt)



Chalchicomula (México) (AFP) - A blanket of fresh snow has fallen on Mexico's highest summit, preserving the mystery surrounding the discovery of two mummified bodies near the peak locked in a cold embrace, frozen in time.

Could they be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago? For now, the answer will have to wait because fog conceals the top of Pico de Orizaba.

The storm has delayed an expedition to recover the cadavers discovered last week, raising concerns that the remains could be lost again on the 5,610-meter (18,400-foot) volcano, also known as Citlaltepetl.

As rescue teams await better weather to begin their expedition, it is adding to the anxiety of friends and families of climbers who vanished five decades ago.

"We fear that the cadavers will be covered up again... and that they are forgotten again," Luis Espinosa, a veteran mountaineer who has searched for three friends missing since 1959, told AFP.

The slopes of the mountain, which straddles the states of Puebla and Veracruz, were white with snow on Friday while the summit was walled off by dense fog.

The snowfall forced the closure of the Mexico City-Puebla highway for several hours on Thursday.

And the expedition to recover the bodies, initially planned for this weekend, was indefinitely delayed as four meters (13 feet) of snow fell on the mountain.

"We know a lot of people are worried. There are many relatives who could think that it's an easy task. But a rescue at an altitude of 5,000 meters puts everybody's lives at risk," said Ricardo de la Cruz, the federal civil protection director general.



Handout picture released by the town council of Chalchicomula showing one of two mummified corpses found near the peak of Pico de Orizaba, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Hilario Aguilar)
 

The first body was discovered by chance by climbers on March 1. After they reported seeing a head protruding from the glacier, an official expedition was sent and discovered the second cadaver embracing the first one.


- The avalanche -

Luis Espinosa, 78, is convinced that the bodies belong to his missing friends and hopes the third one can also be found.

"It's them, without a doubt," the chemical engineer said, showing a newspaper he saved from November 4, 1959, which describes the "intense search" for Alberto Rodriguez, Manuel Campos and expedition chief Enrique Garcia following an avalanche.

He said red cloth found on a body matches the color of Garcia's sweater, worn 55 years ago.

The theory was backed up by Gerardo Reyes, who maintains a registry of climbers on the north side of the volcano, where the bodies were found.



Handout picture released by the town council of Chalchicomula showing one of two mummified corpses found near the peak of Pico de Orizaba, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Hilario Aguilar)


He showed yellowing pages in which mountaineers have written their names since the 1930s.

"We don't know of anybody else who has remained lost on the mountain, neither foreigners nor Mexican nationals," Reyes told AFP in his refuge for climbers.

But he acknowledged that some people go up the mountain without registering and could have vanished without anybody knowing.

The mayor of nearby Chalchicomula, Juan Navarro, said he received calls from people as far away as Spain and Germany asking for information about the bodies.


- Spirit of the mummies -

The mystery has prompted the government to restrict access to the volcano because some people have been caught trying to sneak up to see the bodies.

"We have caught some climbers trying to go up. They were going directly toward the mummies," a Chalchicomula town official told AFP.

Alberto Rangel, one of the climbers who found the first body, said his group tried to keep their discovery as quiet as possible because "we know how daring climbers can be."

They were 200 meters from the summit, climbing a 50-degree glacier, when they decided to come back down because some in the six-person team were injured.

It was on the way back that they spotted something that looked like a coconut on the snow. They deviated from their route to investigate and discovered that it was a mummified human head.

After they took a picture, one of the climbers slipped and tumbled 300 meters down the slope. He escaped with slight injuries. Was it pure luck to get away so lightly?

"I'm not a believer or anything like that, but I don't know what to think," Rangel said, chuckling at the "protection" provided by the spirit of the mummies.

http://news.yahoo.com/mummy-mystery-lingers-daunting-mexico-peak-014532221.html

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Click on the mummy pics to embiggen.

[Unorthodox]

thats an awesome mummy pic right there.

[Unorthodox]

There are moments it's really nice to have quality photo equipment on hand

[Unorthodox]

Why is it impossible to get a good soda these days? 

All fountain machines have gone to that computerized everything comes out of the same spout crap so that I get to taste that lemon lime cherry vanilla grape orange diet ginger dr pepper someone dialed up. 

Who the hell thought this was a good idea?  On one hand, I totally understand people wanting to go back to ye olde soda jockey days and experiment with the different flavored syrups, but there was also a reason machines were made to NOT CROSS CONTAMINATE the different base flavors, not to mention the flavored add ins. 

Part of my job at ye olde Burger King ages ago, and at the theater even before that, was maintaining these machines, calibrating them every day and cleaning the nozzles so they worked right.  I know a bit about what I'm talking about and what a soda should taste like.  It's bad enough 90% of the people didn't calibrate their machines properly/often enough, but now people just don't care, throw everything in a cup and call it good. 

In other news the one place I know I can get a decent soda was closed this morning. 

[Unorthodox]

Handout picture released by the town council of Chalchicomula showing one of two mummified corpses found near the peak of Pico de Orizaba, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Hilario Aguilar)
 

Handout picture released by the town council of Chalchicomula showing one of two mummified corpses found near the peak of Pico de Orizaba, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Hilario Aguilar)

Ok, it's been bugging me, that's gotta be BOTH mummified corpses, NOT one as the description reads.  The mummified hand coming up out of the snow is the wrong direction, the 'top' corpses (corpse's?) hand is tucked in tight to the chest and barely out of the snow. 

[Geo]

They moved it/handled it a bit between pics?

[Unorthodox]

No, the tag is just erroneous. 

Note the thumb on the exposed arm, it's upside down.  Couldn't be from the upright mummy without obvious fracturing.  The upright mummy's hand is actually at the elbow of the exposed arm.  These two were burried in an avalanche together and/or were huddling for warmth. 

[Geo]

Okay.

[Buster's Uncle]

I wish they'd have exposed more of the mummy's right arm to be sure it didn't break off and end up in his lap.

[Unorthodox]

I wish they'd have exposed more of the mummy's right arm to be sure it didn't break off and end up in his lap.

Local traditions can handle mummies oddly, depending where exactly this was, and climbers have some really wierd thoughts on this stuff sometimes, too.  Frankly surprised they dug out as much as they did. 

[Unorthodox]

Witch's Tea Birthday party at the first of spring...


Yeah, perfectly normal there. 

Trying for more Glenda less West, at least. 

Busy weekend getting a "Ripstone" pinata made.  (R.I.P. year 7 Stone) 

[Unorthodox]

Handout picture released by the town council of Chalchicomula showing one of two mummified corpses found near the peak of Pico de Orizaba, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Hilario Aguilar)
 

Handout picture released by the town council of Chalchicomula showing one of two mummified corpses found near the peak of Pico de Orizaba, believed to be two of three climbers buried by an avalanche 55 years ago (AFP Photo/Hilario Aguilar)

I had this out for elsewhere, just noting  where I succeeded and need to work, but my peeling flesh is reasonably close...



(In case you can't tell, I REALLY LOVE that mummy...I might just have to make one)

[Unorthodox]

Black Mirror http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/

Stumbled onto this on Netflix last night. 

The pilot was SO DAMN BRITISH they almost lost me.  Found the whole idea rather silly.  Maybe I just don't get the whold fascination with the royal family or something, whatever.  If the second episode didn't auto-start I would have never looked back.

That second episode was like the best Twilight Zoneish show I've seen since the 80's run of the zone.  I suppose the series will be hit and miss with the random nature of the episodes, but it's worth a watch if you like these kinds of shows. 

[Unorthodox]

Oh, joy. 

The monarch folks have "Recently discovered" that monarchs do indeed live in the rockies.  (after calling me an idiot 2 years ago)  Looking for people to head the project around here.  Training in Boise while I'm going to be in Yellowstone.


Idjits. 

Side note, Milkweed beetle collection project has started...that actually interests me more than flutterbys.  Love beetles.  Doubt the boss wants collection tubes filled with things around the house though.