Berkendara Bersama Ranger Tomas

Polly terbangun di dalam bus saat matahari terbit. Seorang penjaga hutan berbaju cokelat sedang membuka kantornya. Namanya Tomas. Dia tersenyum padanya. "Ayo ikut berkendara denganku."

Polly woke up on the bus at sunrise. A ranger in brown was opening his office. His name was Tomas. He smiled at her. "Come ride with me."

Polly naik ke truknya. Tomas sudah menjadi penjaga hutan selama empat belas tahun. Dia mengemudi dengan pelan. Dia sering berhenti.

Polly rode in his truck. Tomas had been a ranger for fourteen years. He drove slowly. He stopped often.

Pemberhentian pertama adalah padang rumput basah. Tomas mencari tanda-tanda beruang. "Di bulan Juni, bunga bakung jagung tumbuh di sini. Beruang memakannya."

The first stop was a wet meadow. Tomas looked for bear signs. "In June, corn lilies grow here. Bears eat them."

Polly melompat ke jendela. Bunga bakung jagung itu seperti tombak hijau kecil.

Polly hopped to the window. The corn lilies were small green spears.

Truk itu mendaki. Udara menjadi lebih sejuk. Di tikungan jalan, Tomas menunjuk. Seekor elang peregrine duduk di atas batu. Polly melihatnya. Elang itu meluncur dari batu dan menghilang.

The truck climbed. The air got cooler. At a turn in the road, Tomas pointed. A peregrine falcon sat on a rock. Polly looked at it. The falcon dropped off the rock and was gone.

"Elang bersarang di tebing," kata Tomas. "Tahun ini kami punya enam pasang."

"Falcons nest on the cliffs," Tomas said. "We have six pairs this year."

Polly mengamati bagaimana elang itu melipat sayapnya untuk menyelam. Dia ingin mencobanya.

Polly watched how the falcon folded its wings to dive. She wanted to try it.

Kemudian, Tomas berjalan ke dalam hutan. Dia kembali dengan sebuah kaleng logam. "Seseorang mencoba mengubur kotak tahan beruang ini."

Later, Tomas walked into the woods. He came back with a metal can. "Someone tried to bury this bear-proof box."

Saat tengah hari mereka sampai di Olmsted Point. Polly melihat pemandangan yang luas. Danau Tenaya jauh di bawah. Half Dome dari belakang. Pegunungan abu-abu di kejauhan.

At noon they reached Olmsted Point. Polly saw a big view. Tenaya Lake far below. Half Dome from behind. Grey mountains in the distance.

"Kebanyakan orang melewati ini," kata Tomas. Dia menuangkan sedikit kopi ke dalam cangkirnya. Dia meletakkan cangkir itu di dasbor. "Berhenti sejenak."

"Most people drive past this," Tomas said. He poured a little coffee in his cup. He set the cup on the dashboard. "Stay a while."