You have a nice vista Daniel from your pics mate, Bruce......if you ever do!!!! You know you're welcome at our place mate!
And hey.....I've seen a bear in Gil's backyard....now THAT'S something that would scare the #%#% out of me!!!!
Our biteys are SMALL and nasty....your biteys are BIG and Toothy!!!!
Well Dang Jim ...... I had an excellently detailed reply all typed out and nearly ready to submit, until I hit a wrong button somewhere about one sentence from completion, and it all evaporated.
Perhaps I'll try again tomorrow!?!?
That's a right proper bastard when they happens isn't it 
Okay now Jim, rather than type three paragraphs of descriptions, which is what disappeared on me yesterday, I'll try to do a briefer synopsis of what I wanted to relate.
Where I live here is far, far more than just a "Vista" but rather a true wonderland of mountains and desert. World class climbing, fishing, hiking, skiing and a whole lot else exist here in spade, what with the entire High Sierra Mtn. range and John Muir Wilderness less than five miles out my back door, with nothing but open country in between! I live in a County (Inyo) that is as big, or bigger than eight states, but only has about 18,000 people in its over 10,000 square miles. Population density gets even less as you head further east from here for the next one thousand miles, clear to the Rocky Mtns. Highest point in the continental US outside of Alaska (Mt. Whitney) is less than fifty miles to the south, with literally hundreds of only slightly lesser peaks in between and beyond in all direction, many of which I have climbed, including those you've so often seen as "my Vista"! Then there is the incredible wonders of Yosemite and its unbelievable scenery, hiking, climbing and etc. that is only about fifty miles to the north of me here. Death Valley is less than 100 miles to the Southeast with the lowest elevation in North America of -286 below sea level, and also the hottest official temperature recorded at 134 degrees Fahrenheit. Being a Geologist, the many huge escarpments all around here offer breathtaking views into the earth and its mechanisms and revealed a great wealth of mineral deposits and fossil exposures for study. The Ancient Bristlecone Pines, the world's oldest living things, live on top of the White Mtns just on the other side of the Owens (Deepest) Valley from me, and that range rises up to 14,246 at White Mtn. Peak (Where I worked for U of C for many years), but also runs for some 40 miles rarely getting below 12k and averaging about 13K. Giant Sequoia trees (World's largest living thing) thrive just on the other side of the Sierra Crest from me, and in fact I have two 50 year old youngsters growing in my front yard, that promise some serious trouble as time goes by!?!?
I could go on and on with this, but I think you get the drift that what I have here may be just a bit more than a "Vista"!!!
Oh yeah, then there is the other part .... the bitey things.
Yes, we do have some of those Ursa type critters that wander the neighborhood here mostly in the spring and fall but are not far off the rest of the year either though as they mostly hole-up and sleep through the winter. Black bears are really not much of a threat if you don't mess with them or especially their cubs! Mostly they just tip over trash cans and break down fences, and if you are at all smart, even that can easily be prevented. We also have Mountain Lion, and Lynx which account for some missing pets from time to time, and those Cougars do manage to pick off the occasional unwary jogger here in Kaliphoney most every year, but we've had no such deaths locally. We do have a plethora of Buzz Worms (Rattle Snakes) including the occasional Mojave Green varietal that has developed a powerful nerve toxin that is seriously lethal, to go along with its rather deadly (though not always) blood toxins. Other than scorpions, which are generally not deadly, but can really mess you up, we do have Brown Recluse and Black Widow Spiders that can give you a lethal dose if you are especially sensitive or don't get proper treatment.
Still, our bitey critters don't hold a candle to what you folks live with down under!
All the foregoing is .... just so you know!!!
Hummmmm, not nearly as good as my former attempt, and may not be as much briefer as I had in mind .... ;cea
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