A Couple of Firsts

We are not risk takers by any means. We don't have that constant need to push the envelope, that need for adrenaline. Nope. We like to go through life at a comfortable pace, and what we feel is a comfortable distance from danger.  Why tempt the fates? Eventually the cards may be stacked against you. That is why we avoid big cities, with all the random violence and we never have the urge to kiss a severed toe. Speaking of severed appendages. It is a good thing John Wayne Bobbitt doesn't have a bar. Guess what people would be lined up to kiss. Just saying.

Sometimes life, no matter how well you prepare to avoid risky situations, will test your metal anyways. My first example is this:

Living in Bear country for this length of time. Living in bear country in general. We have all heard about bear maulings of tourists. Yellowstone has Grizzlies. I really don't care to see one. But from day one since we have been here, we have seen black bears. There is a mother and a couple of cubs that live in this area and also a couple of males. We would almost see them every day going to and from our campground to the store. One male got to about 50 feet from our fifth wheel one day. Other people have seen them walk behind our camper when we were at work. So where ever we go we carry our bear spray. Even just sitting outside enjoying a cocktail around a fire. I would feel more comfortable packing my shotgun, but the rangers frown upon that.

Another example:

Having a badger 10 feet from your door. It looked like it was digging a den. It was just hunting uinta ground squirrels. But we didn't know. I went to the ranger station and they just told me to watch it. It will probably move on. Yeah, I will watch it, behind the sites of my shotgun. I know the can says bear spray, but will it work on badgers? I sometimes feel like Paul Blart from Mall Cop. With nothing to defend yourself but a radio.

Another example:

Living near a wildfire. The worst thing about living close to all these wildfires is the lack of communication here. We have no TV, no radio stations, our internet is horrible. Everyday we drive out to the fire to see its progress. We even fueled up the vehicles just in case the word comes down to evacuate, we want to be ready. If the wind is right we get little flakes of ash raining down on us.

On a different note about the wildfires is that during the day, there is so much smoke in the air, we get this orange filtered sunlight. Kind of eerie and end of days look about the sky. At night the moon is so orange it is unbelievably beautiful. I wish I had a camera that could capture it. We drove to a spot to view the fire after work last night and seeing the flames at night was amazing. Again it was a sight you don't often see. It was beautiful in its own right but also sad to see that much forest being destroyed.

Hopefully we get the rain that is in the forecast for here. But with the rain comes lightening which has started all the fires. It is so dry.

"Happy trails to you, until we meet again"-Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.