Roughing it--with WiFi

The ten of us, hailing from everywhere from Texas to New Jersey to northern California, arrived at the James Reserve with hardly any expectations. "Rustic research cabin" can mean so many things. Would there be hot water? Beds? Geez, would there be cell service? (The answer, by the way, and unfortunately for me, is: not for AT&T users.)
We ended up with perfectly normal (though plastic--and loud) sheets and beds, spread throughout the second floor. It didn't take long for our dozens of bags to take over every inch of space.

The first floor consists of a kitchen (which has strangely become a popular gathering space), bathrooms, an office, and the main room--host to frantic plant-pressing sessions and nighttime card games alike.The James Reserve, home base for our expedition, is a 30-acre outpost of UC Riverside that is home to dozens of separate projects analyzing everything from moss to birds to ladybugs. But for us, it's home--at least for two weeks! Thankfully, there's WiFi to help us "rough it" a little less--and to post to this blog!

Extra: check out this video to see our James Reserve host, Dr. Becca Fenwick, introduce us to one of California's oldest Ponderosa pines, our new neighbor. http://youtu.be/lqdpoGhBDks

Also: watch Becca demonstrate a moss found on the Reserve with some amazing properties: http://youtu.be/3VNk6UgloTE