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Originally Posted by Bill
So professor it's really none of my business but I feel the need to inquire. When you pull off into one of those obscure campgrounds and setup your tent in the middle of nowhere do you feel safe for the overnight? What I am asking is do you carry a pistol? Beside the four legged critters there can also be two legged varmints looking for opportunity. Like I said it's none of my business but I wonder if any other barners think the way I do... Bill
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 47Sooner
Old Henry, I've really enjoyed the trip through your story and pictures. Great job !
On a side note of the above, as far as a pistol, it's not a wise idea to try to cross into Canada with one. I know you camped in a tent, which may be the only way traveling with your car, but it's not generally a good idea in bear country. Not trying to be critical, you had an absolute great adventure.
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Ever been to Mars? No, probably not. I ask that because the places that I drove through in Canada and camped in were as different from most of the towns and cities that we all live in that they are like they are on another planet. I'll try to paint the picture.
Most of the places (and I use the term "places" loosely, as most would not be what we would call towns or cities or communities or even neighborhoods.) These places mostly count their populations with one or two digits tops. Rarely would one break into three digits, and that would be the low end of those. And, the number of miles between these "places" could not be counted with one digit but only upper twos and low threes. And, the only law enforcement officer I ever saw in a week driving several thousand miles in rural Canada was the one that pulled over for a photography lesson from me on day 5, and I don't think he even had a gun.
Just to give an example of these kind of "places" is the one called "Continental Divide".
(Just found this Google image of the place before the campground)
I hit there at 10:30 P.M. on day 7. I was beat and ready to sleep. This place had a little building called a store with a gas pump out front, a portable building near by called a "motel", and another portable building called "showers and laundry". Even though it was still as light as if the sun had just gone down, even though it had been down for an hour, everything was all closed up and everyone gone to bed. On the front of the "store" was a roughly hand painted sign on a piece of board that read, "New - Camping. $10.00". I looked for such and saw an area back behind the buildings that had gravel among the trees arranged in some semblance of camp sites. No one was camping. An old boat was being stored in one site. I decided to pitch my tent in the spot closest to the "showers", which, I assumed, included toilets. There was no cell phone/internet service there for me to do a report, I was too tired anyway. So, I went right to bed and heard the soft rain on the tent as I went to sleep. The other thing I could hear was the generator running that provided all of the power for the "place". That's how all of these "places" ran, on their own generator. I never saw any power lines anywhere until I got back to civilization.
In the morning I got up and went over to the "showers". There were toilets, OK. But, the lids were off the tanks and there was no water in them. I got dressed and went over to the "store" to use theirs. They at least had running water. I had seen the hand written sign on the gas pump "we do not accept any credit cards. Cash only". I hadn't stocked up with cash before leaving home since I knew "every place" in Canada took cards. I had $25.00. An old hermit looking guy came up from the back of the building. As far as I could tell, he was the only other person there besides me. I told him that I needed to pay my $10.00 for camping but didn't have any of his kind of money. He took my $20.00 and gave me back a Canadian $10.00. After packing up I drove the car to the pump to put some gas in. He had to be the one to pump it and I warned him I only had the $10.00 he'd just given me so don't go over that. He did fine. I paid him and left.
That was certainly the most primitive of the places I camped. But, I have to say, if there was any thug there hoping to make a living on mugging a lone tent camper that may stop there once a week, they'd starve pretty quick.
It was like that other places I camped too, other than the national park camp ground. In all of those little "places", there was no one that had anything worth stealing for any crook to make a living at it. And, if a "highwayman" decided to ply the highways looking for a hit, he'd have to drive hundreds of miles for days and days before finding one.
So, any crooks that ever threatened the pristine peace of those places were starved out long ago and posed no threat nor fear for anyone, including me.
As for bears, they only want food, and mostly dead food and vegetarian. They're not looking for a nice fresh, live human to chow down on, nor even a nice warm little puppy. So, as long as you don't leave any food out nor in your tent, you're safe. At least that's what I've read and had the ranger at the national park campground tell me.
Oh, by the way, none of the above explanation was good enough for my mother, who told me when I talked to her daily, the I should have taken a gun (which I've never owned in my life) and will likely be killed by bears.