AM news: the weather is nice, mother nature is not

nature=danger, part 1 - An experienced, skilled mountain climber fell to her death last week on Mt. Mendel in Kings Canyon National Park. 57-year-old Patricia Rambert had reached the summit of 206 Sierra Nevada mountains and was considered a "peak bagger" in climbing circles.

nature=danger, part 2 - The Kern River is a great place to go inner-tubing (the laziest of river sports, all you need to do is float and drink beer) but it's also a place where 235 lives have been lost since 1968. The latest death was over Memorial Day weekend, when a Long Beach construction worker's tube flipped and he drowned; the Kern is really fast this year.

nature=danger, part 3 - A pleasure boat that launched from Cabrillo Beach capsized yesterday near San Pedro, leaving 2 men dead and a boy in the hospital. The six on board were relatives on a fishing trip; the boat was caught in a heavy fog, foundered and flipped. A woman and her children, who were wearing life jackets, survived the accident.

at least golf is safe - A pimped-out golf cart goes on the auction block today to benefit the Motion Picture Television Fund charity. Michael Douglas, who drove it at a recent golf fundraiser, may have found it a bit too dangerous for his 61-year-old self: “This golf cart is a one-of-a-kind original and unlike anything I have ever seen,” he said. “One lucky bidder will drive away with this pimped-out masterpiece, and also help support The Motion Picture & Television Fund.”

Sierra Nevada photo by gregmote via Flickr