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    • That owl story reminds me of an incident during one of my bike tours, where I stopped off the Blue Ridge Parkway to camp overnight. I set up my tent around dusk time, being tired from a full day's ride in the mountains; I soon crawled in my tent and not more than a 1/2-hour later there was a godawful sound of what sounded like a lady being ax murdered coming from directly above me. It's hard to describe the feeling that washed over me -- it completely paralyzed me. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but I didn't sleep well that night.

      The next morning I looked up to see where that thing was perched and it was a very fragile, sorry-looking sapling that stood only about 10ft high, I had my tent under and I just couldn't imagine anything perching on those wimpy-looking limbs that could make that piercing sound. This thing sounded as if it was directly above me, not more than 10 feet up.
    • I once took one of my sons camping for Cub Scouts at one of the BSA campgrounds. Heard something hitting my tent in the night and assumed it was rain. Got up in the morning and it was actually just a strong wind blowing lots of accorns down during the night. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      Bears, snakes, and ticks, and now we need to watch out for owls. ?(

      amp-thenewstribune-com.cdn.amp…e%2Farticle246231570.html
      The 'Owl Theory' in the Peterson murder case has long intrigued me. I find it entirely plausible. I mean, how else did owl feathers end up in her hair? If it had been presented to a jury, I don't think he would have been found guilty...

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Peterson_(criminal)
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Astro wrote:

      Proof golf is more dangerous than hiking. ;)
      I have seen elk, but have not been gored by one yet.

      amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org…-by-elk-trnd%2Findex.html
      In the late summer of 1987 we were at Banff, Alberta. The golf course there is over run with elk. I think they are out of bounds.
      I wasn't golfing but was walking a wide paved path along the river right in town just across the river from the golf course. It was a busy summer afternoon with lots of people there. I then noticed just off the path in very tall grass maybe 10 feet from where I was standing was a giant elk. He was so well camouflaged in the grass that no one else walking by even noticed. He was resting with his chin on the ground and the tips of his antlers were over my head. He then lifted his head and looked at me. I assessed my options. I figured my best bet was to jump in the river if he he decided to get cranky. Fortunately he just put his head back down went back to sleep.
    • A few summers in high school and college I operated a compactor driving over pads of dirt to build condominiums on. They had already built the golf course so it was always in view around where I was working. The area had previously been McKee Jungle Garden so occasionally you would see a wild monkey and plenty of alligators. When the gators came out of the water it was interesting to see the retirees jump in their carts and take off. No casualties, just a little action to brighten up a monotonous job. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • odd man out wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Proof golf is more dangerous than hiking. ;)
      I have seen elk, but have not been gored by one yet.

      amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org…-by-elk-trnd%2Findex.html
      In the late summer of 1987 we were at Banff, Alberta. The golf course there is over run with elk. I think they are out of bounds.I wasn't golfing but was walking a wide paved path along the river right in town just across the river from the golf course. It was a busy summer afternoon with lots of people there. I then noticed just off the path in very tall grass maybe 10 feet from where I was standing was a giant elk. He was so well camouflaged in the grass that no one else walking by even noticed. He was resting with his chin on the ground and the tips of his antlers were over my head. He then lifted his head and looked at me. I assessed my options. I figured my best bet was to jump in the river if he he decided to get cranky. Fortunately he just put his head back down went back to sleep.
      That sounds like the 2 moose, close encounters Kathy and I have had in New England.
      In each case the beast looked at us and then kept doing it's thing, eating.
    • I remember a major plot element in the original Jurassic Park movie was that plant eaters were friendly and harmless while meat eaters were mean and dangerous. When I saw the most recent incarnation of the franchise I noticed they seemed to go out of their way to correct that error. I'm guessing they heard about it from more than one biologist or outdoor enthusiast.
    • odd man out wrote:

      I remember a major plot element in the original Jurassic Park movie was that plant eaters were friendly and harmless while meat eaters were mean and dangerous. When I saw the most recent incarnation of the franchise I noticed they seemed to go out of their way to correct that error. I'm guessing they heard about it from more than one biologist or outdoor enthusiast.
      I would still rather still take my chances with the plant eaters than the meat eaters. Last time I checked I was made of meat not plants.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • odd man out wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      I would still rather still take my chances with the plant eaters than the meat eaters. Last time I checked I was made of meat not plants.
      In Africa, the deadliest animal is the hippo (not counting mosquitos).
      For mosquitos I wear DEET, and for hippos I will watch out at the water holes. But I have seen Jungle Book many many times (raised four children and loved Phil Harris), and Sharekhan (the tiger) will come looking for you, which I believe is much more dangerous and harder to protect against. And he wants to rip you apart. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Speaking of cars, now that I'm working just 10 miles from home and bicycling as often as I can it doesn't seem like I'll get to half a million miles with my 2002 Subaru Forester. I'm just not driving very much now that my daily commute is 20 miles a day as opposed to the 134 miles that it was. Too bad as I was looking forward to the 500,000 mile mark and so was the dealership where I bought the car.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Speaking of cars, now that I'm working just 10 miles from home and bicycling as often as I can it doesn't seem like I'll get to half a million miles with my 2002 Subaru Forester. I'm just not driving very much now that my daily commute is 20 miles a day as opposed to the 134 miles that it was. Too bad as I was looking forward to the 500,000 mile mark and so was the dealership where I bought the car.
      You will need to keep it a few more years. And perhaps a few more trips to Ohio to see your son. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • IMScotty wrote:

      I vote in person, always have. For the primary I was in and out in 5 minutes. If the local government runs things right, I do not see what the fuss is.
      Point I was trying to make earlier. Only time more than 5 or 10 minutes was right at post 5pm after work rush hour.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • IMScotty wrote:

      I vote in person, always have. For the primary I was in and out in 5 minutes. If the local government runs things right, I do not see what the fuss is.
      Our primaries were a clusterfark. Hours of waiting in line. In a pandemic. With no social distancing. The counties blamed the state. The state blamed the counties.

      I'm voting at the kitchen table tomorrow, and dropping my ballot off at one of collection centers set up around the county (there's one just 2 miles from the house) on Wed on my way back from an appointment.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      I vote in person, always have. For the primary I was in and out in 5 minutes. If the local government runs things right, I do not see what the fuss is.
      Our primaries were a clusterfark. Hours of waiting in line. In a pandemic. With no social distancing. The counties blamed the state. The state blamed the counties.
      I'm voting at the kitchen table tomorrow, and dropping my ballot off at one of collection centers set up around the county (there's one just 2 miles from the house) on Wed on my way back from an appointment.
      I don't get to vote in primaries as I'm not registered with any party.
    • I'm filling out my sample ballot and I hear on the News about a concern supporters have over the 1/2-cent sales tax on the ballot. So I look into this "concern", only to find out that the issue is the placement of the question on the ballot. Since it's on page 2, they think most voters won't see it. :S

      To some extent they're probably right, given the apparent stupidity of voters in general. I'm just sick of hearing about how someone needs to hold the hands of the voters and lead them to the ballot so they can vote. If they're that stupid, maybe they shouldn't be voting.
    • max.patch wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      I vote in person, always have. For the primary I was in and out in 5 minutes. If the local government runs things right, I do not see what the fuss is.
      Our primaries were a clusterfark. Hours of waiting in line. In a pandemic. With no social distancing. The counties blamed the state. The state blamed the counties.
      I'm voting at the kitchen table tomorrow, and dropping my ballot off at one of collection centers set up around the county (there's one just 2 miles from the house) on Wed on my way back from an appointment.
      I also vote in person each year and I'm almost always in and out in five minutes. Do you live in a large city? I see these lines on the News, but luckily I've never had to wait in them; I think it's more of a problem with the supervisor of elections in these areas not setting up more polling places. The longest I had to wait in line was when I once voted early, because I was going to be out of town on election day, but still not anywhere near an hour-long wait.
    • citizen-times.com/picture-gall…l&itm_content=ExploreMore


      Only solution now is a total ban on camping there. The social media idiots want to party there with crowds. Note, this isn't the drone pic that went around a few weeks earlier this is last week. It's a recurring thing now. Self perpetuating due to social media.

      the biggest problem, is that it's impossible for anybody to enjoy the place and get a scenic picture with all the f'ing tents in the way. So total camping ban is needed. Forever. Just do it . These people are tailgating, not camping. But that's what happens when there's a parking area 250 yards from the top of the hill.

      The post was edited 5 times, last by Muddywaters ().

    • I know that GSMNP can't charge fees because of the way it was established. But what about timed entry permits? Arches NP is having the same problem and this solution was shot down by locals who say it will hurt business. (They are all in favor of overcrowding.) It's also not popular with those who just show up and feel entitled to get what they want. Also not popular with the xenophobes who think all the foreigners are shutting them out of "their" park. I for one don't care about accommodating those concerns and the NPS doesn't really have a mandate to either.
    • odd man out wrote:

      I know that GSMNP can't charge fees because of the way it was established. But what about timed entry permits? Arches NP is having the same problem and this solution was shot down by locals who say it will hurt business. (They are all in favor of overcrowding.) It's also not popular with those who just show up and feel entitled to get what they want. Also not popular with the xenophobes who think all the foreigners are shutting them out of "their" park. I for one don't care about accommodating those concerns and the NPS doesn't really have a mandate to either.
      Perhapas a little over the top there with the xenophobe comment. :( I have lived in four different continents, traveled in nearly 30 different countries and always appreciated the opportunity to enjoy what other countries had to offer. So I have experience with being the foreigner. But when it comes down to it working Americans (tax payers, I know a shrinking population as the government panders and puts more or more on the dole) still are the ones who fund the National and State parks.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      Perhapas a little over the top there with the xenophobe comment. :( I have lived in four different continents, traveled in nearly 30 different countries and always appreciated the opportunity to enjoy what other countries had to offer. So I have experience with being the foreigner. But when it comes down to it working Americans (tax payers, I know a shrinking population as the government panders and puts more or more on the dole) still are the ones who fund the National and State parks.
      I've seen several on-line discussions where people have complained about how they can't get permits because of all the foreigners. When this has come up I looked up the usage data and found that international guests make up a tiny fraction of the total, so I think that concern is a red herring. I haven't counted countries I've been to recently but I too have enjoyed what they have to offer and would hope we would treat our guests the same. I know that some countries (especially poor-underdeveloped ones) charge higher fees for international visitors. That seems to be a reasonable way to address the cost issue, but I wouldn't want the NPS service to put some sort of quota on foreign guests.

      So now you have me thinking - in approximate order: USA, Canada, Japan, West Germany*, East Germany*, Austria, UK@, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland, Romania, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland#, Jamaica, Sweden, Norway, Iceland# = 20 (hmm? I thought it was more than that).

      *East and West Germany are now one country but were not when I was there, so I am counting both!
      #These were airport layovers, but since they are Schengen countries, I was allowed to leave the airport if I wanted to so I'm counting them ;)
      @Can I count count England and Scotland as two countries. The Scots certainly think they are.
    • odd man out wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Perhapas a little over the top there with the xenophobe comment. :( I have lived in four different continents, traveled in nearly 30 different countries and always appreciated the opportunity to enjoy what other countries had to offer. So I have experience with being the foreigner. But when it comes down to it working Americans (tax payers, I know a shrinking population as the government panders and puts more or more on the dole) still are the ones who fund the National and State parks.
      I've seen several on-line discussions where people have complained about how they can't get permits because of all the foreigners. When this has come up I looked up the usage data and found that international guests make up a tiny fraction of the total, so I think that concern is a red herring. I haven't counted countries I've been to recently but I too have enjoyed what they have to offer and would hope we would treat our guests the same. I know that some countries (especially poor-underdeveloped ones) charge higher fees for international visitors. That seems to be a reasonable way to address the cost issue, but I wouldn't want the NPS service to put some sort of quota on foreign guests.
      So now you have me thinking - in approximate order: USA, Canada, Japan, West Germany*, East Germany*, Austria, UK@, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland, Romania, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland#, Jamaica, Sweden, Norway, Iceland# = 20 (hmm? I thought it was more than that).

      *East and West Germany are now one country but were not when I was there, so I am counting both!
      #These were airport layovers, but since they are Schengen countries, I was allowed to leave the airport if I wanted to so I'm counting them ;)
      @Can I count count England and Scotland as two countries. The Scots certainly think they are.
      Yes, I would say England and Scotland should count as 2, Wales as a third if you had the opportunity to make it there. :)
      My wife loved the farm stay so much we had in Wales (four children 7 and under at the time), that we altered our plans and stayed an extra day. Had a great time other than on the last day when my 3 year old was trying to feed the free range chickens (unfortunately fertilizer instead of chicken feed).
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      Yes, I would say England and Scotland should count as 2, Wales as a third if you had the opportunity to make it there. :) My wife loved the farm stay so much we had in Wales (four children 7 and under at the time), that we altered our plans and stayed an extra day. Had a great time other than on the last day when my 3 year old was trying to feed the free range chickens (unfortunately fertilizer instead of chicken feed).
      Been to England twice and Scotland once. Wales is near the top of our list of places to go. Maybe after another trip to Paris followed by Southern France. We really liked Paris (am I the only one), but were only there for a few days and didn't see any other parts of the France. I don't speak any foreign languages (other than Biochemistry) but I know more words in French than any other language and am reasonably proficient at restaurant menu French. I'm not even going to try Welsh. Can you say llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?

      Glad to hear I am not the only one to drag a family through Europe. We took our three kids on a trip to England, Netherlands, Belgium, and Paris. Then another with two of them to Ireland. We stayed at a great B&B outside Leterfrack where we got caught in the middle of a pub brawl. I couldn't tell if they were speaking Gaelic or English with a drunk-Irish accent, but the little guy said something to piss off the big guy and they went flying across the room and landed right on top of our table. The next morning our B&B host said matter of factly "There must have been a funeral. After funerals, everyone goes to the pub and gets into fights." I said "You do know you are not doing much to dispel Irish stereotypes, don't you?"
    • odd man out wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Yes, I would say England and Scotland should count as 2, Wales as a third if you had the opportunity to make it there. :) My wife loved the farm stay so much we had in Wales (four children 7 and under at the time), that we altered our plans and stayed an extra day. Had a great time other than on the last day when my 3 year old was trying to feed the free range chickens (unfortunately fertilizer instead of chicken feed).
      Been to England twice and Scotland once. Wales is near the top of our list of places to go. Maybe after another trip to Paris followed by Southern France. We really liked Paris (am I the only one), but were only there for a few days and didn't see any other parts of the France. I don't speak any foreign languages (other than Biochemistry) but I know more words in French than any other language and am reasonably proficient at restaurant menu French. I'm not even going to try Welsh. Can you say llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
      Glad to hear I am not the only one to drag a family through Europe. We took our three kids on a trip to England, Netherlands, Belgium, and Paris. Then another with two of them to Ireland. We stayed at a great B&B outside Leterfrack where we got caught in the middle of a pub brawl. I couldn't tell if they were speaking Gaelic or English with a drunk-Irish accent, but the little guy said something to piss off the big guy and they went flying across the room and landed right on top of our table. The next morning our B&B host said matter of factly "There must have been a funeral. After funerals, everyone goes to the pub and gets into fights." I said "You do know you are not doing much to dispel Irish stereotypes, don't you?"
      I dragged our family, wife and one kid at the time, to Holland for 6 months. My son was 3 at the time and it was interesting when he'd play with the neighborhood kids as they didn't speak English and he didn't speak Dutch. But somehow it worked out fine as they all spoke "childish". I'd go back to Holland in a heart beat, nice people and a nice country with a lot to see and learn about.