Hangin' Out

[cursor]

When [much] younger, we used to go camping. While Dad was not a camping dude ... Mom was. He respected that (bless his heart). I have a photo of him tubing down a snow-blazoned trailed at near 40 mph (or it seemed so to him). We used to go up American Fork canyon and play what we called "Chargers/Defenders," in which we'd divide up our human resources (that'd be the eight sons), then define a defensible target ... then assign that the charging team should charge said location ... watching out for defensive attacks! BLAM, BLAM ... you're dead!! (then one had to remain stillness until a comrade passed by and touched you, upon which you were newly alive). The game was over only when either all of the defenders, or all of the chargers were dead ... of the flag was captured.

 

What great times.

[Garden Girl]

I loved camping, and fortunately so did my husband... he loved to fly fish.  We had many a meal of fresh trout cooked in a cast iron skillet on a  grate over an open fire... nothing better... (almost).

Growing up in So Cal and then living in the San Fran Bay Area, I had never had a chance to really see a black nightime sky with the stars... so one time we were camping at Bear Lake, Utah... when dark came and all the lights were out, the fire just a glow, WHOA!!! Look at the stars!!  I had no idea how very beautiful the true nightime sky is until I saw the billions of stars as I stood looking up in absolute awe... 

Then there was the time we camped in a tent at Yellowstone... the first night our eyes didn't close and our ears were listening for  any sound of a bear.  Everyone else around us had campers or trailers, and here was my husband and I in a soft-sided tent.  Yikes!  But it was wonderful... 

 

GG

[Calm]

A bear broke through the window trying to get in our little trailer so while safer, not perfectly safe.

[Garden Girl]

A bear broke through the window trying to get in our little trailer so while safer, not perfectly safe.

 

Yikes again!!

 

GG

[bluebell]

I love camping! I grew up in wyoming next to Yellowstone and we still go back every summer to camp with my parents. I've been camping with a three week old and also camped while nine months pregnant. It's too much fun to miss for any reason.

[Kenngo1969]

I love camping! I grew up in wyoming next to Yellowstone and we still go back every summer to camp with my parents. I've been camping with a three week old and also camped while nine months pregnant. It's too much fun to miss for any reason.

My respect and friendly affection for you, (never low to begin with) has grown considerably upon reading that.

[Kenngo1969]

Not a "camping" experience, really, but for years, my mother and father, along with whomever else has been home (usually me, although I wasn't along on this occasion), have taken a drive up one of the canyons near the house.  (Sometimes before he retired, my dad would be on duty when these drives were taken, which occasionally necessitated having what otherwise would have been a leisurely drive interrupted by the necessity to traverse a winding road to get somewhere fast ... I never minded, but, inexplicably, my mom is of a different sort ... )  Anyway, one day as they were driving, my mom saw what she thought was a big dog in the middle of the road, and told my dad to slow down.  When they got closer for inspection, my dad said, "That's not a dog; that's a mountain lion." After the mountain lion crossed the road, my dad stopped, and my mom rolled down her window and stuck her head out to try to see where he went.  Immediately, she jerked her head back into the car and rapidly rolled up the window.  Dad asked, "Where is he?"  She replied, "Right there!" and pointed to a spot just off of the road.

 

Good times!  

[The Nehor]

Thank you for bringing to mind one of the worst songs ever to grace a movie.

 

[Calm]

With that intro not clicking on the link

[Garden Girl]

Not a "camping" experience, really, but for years, my mother and father, along with whomever else has been home (usually me, although I wasn't along on this occasion), have taken a drive up one of the canyons near the house.  (Sometimes before he retired, my dad would be on duty when these drives were taken, which occasionally necessitated having what otherwise would have been a leisurely drive interrupted by the necessity to traverse a winding road to get somewhere fast ... I never minded, but, inexplicably, my mom is of a different sort ... )  Anyway, one day as they were driving, my mom saw what she thought was a big dog in the middle of the road, and told my dad to slow down.  When they got closer for inspection, my dad said, "That's not a dog; that's a mountain lion." After the mountain lion crossed the road, my dad stopped, and my mom rolled down her window and stuck her head out to try to see where he went.  Immediately, she jerked her head back into the car and rapidly rolled up the window.  Dad asked, "Where is he?"  She replied, "Right there!" and pointed to a spot just off of the road.

 

Good times!

 

Not an actual camping story either, but my husband and I used to go to Idaho almost every summer (where we would camp and  fish)... we had intended to retire to Couer d ' Alene.  We had a large, comfortable car and this one day we were on a rural, straight highway in the Nevada desert... going about 100 mph as we were the only car for miles.  As we drove we could see what we thought was a large crow ahead in the middle of the road... as the car sped toward it and it got bigger and bigger we suddenly realized it was a huge vulture... it rose in flight and its wingspan must have been about of six feet.  WHOA!  We just missed hitting it...

We loved Idaho... but one summer when we went to find property in CdA everything we wanted had been bought up by other Californians... my husband says... Well, you like Oregon, let's go home that way... and so we did, and we stopped in this coastal area where we used to come on business (Salishan), and we bought a lot where we finally built our retirement home.  I often think that it was more than coincidence that we ended up here... I'm so much better off here, i.e., don't have to shovel snow or have hot summers... I've been widowed for almost 15 years now and this central coast is perfect for me, and the ward here is so very special... If I have to be alone, I couldn't ask for a more beautiful area than my lovely seaside, and my little cottage that sits in the pines.

 

GG

[bluebell]

Not a "camping" experience, really, but for years, my mother and father, along with whomever else has been home (usually me, although I wasn't along on this occasion), have taken a drive up one of the canyons near the house. (Sometimes before he retired, my dad would be on duty when these drives were taken, which occasionally necessitated having what otherwise would have been a leisurely drive interrupted by the necessity to traverse a winding road to get somewhere fast ... I never minded, but, inexplicably, my mom is of a different sort ... ) Anyway, one day as they were driving, my mom saw what she thought was a big dog in the middle of the road, and told my dad to slow down. When they got closer for inspection, my dad said, "That's not a dog; that's a mountain lion." After the mountain lion crossed the road, my dad stopped, and my mom rolled down her window and stuck her head out to try to see where he went. Immediately, she jerked her head back into the car and rapidly rolled up the window. Dad asked, "Where is he?" She replied, "Right there!" and pointed to a spot just off of the road.

Good times!

A mountain lion is the one large wild animal that I have yet to see in person in the wild. I've seen all the hoofed animals of North America (mountain goats are probably my favorite) and tons of grizzly and black bear. I've seen a couple of wolves at separate times, but never a mountain lion.

[Calm]

I've seen a moose, it was not quite in the middle of Calgary, but it was along one of the busy freeways on the way to the airport so it would have had to gone a long way from the parks where it was probably at home.  I felt very sorry for it and hoped it found its way back.

[Kenngo1969]

I've seen a moose, it was not quite in the middle of Calgary, but it was along one of the busy freeways on the way to the airport so it would have had to gone a long way from the parks where it was probably at home.  I felt very sorry for it and hoped it found its way back.

There's a place here in Utah called Hardware Ranch where visitors can take a wagon ride and get fairly up-close-and-personal looks at quite a few elk.  If anyone is ever in the vicinity, I highly recommend it.  (And with all due sympathy for your wayward moose, I don't feel really sorry for the elk; it's where they naturally hang out. )

[Kenngo1969]

A mountain lion is the one large wild animal that I have yet to see in person in the wild. I've seen all the hoofed animals of North America (mountain goats are probably my favorite) and tons of grizzly and black bear. I've seen a couple of wolves at separate times, but never a mountain lion.

http://fox13now.com/2014/06/27/sandy-safe-again-mountain-lion-spotted-near-jordan-commons-just-captured/

 

I dunno what everyone was all excited about ... After all, even mountain lions get a shopping itch they have to scratch from time to time!

[Buzzard]

I have always loved getting not just to the end of the road, but putting my home on my back and disappearing for a few days.

In addition to seeing things that most people never see, I took my children with me as soon as they were able. A lot of the relationships I had with them was forged on the trail and around the campfire. To this day, my daughter would rather take a hike with me than do anything other than read her books.

[JLHPROF]

My idea of roughing it is a 2 1/2 star hotel....I love walking in the woods, being around nature, but when it comes time to sleep I like to be indoors.

But I often like to get away from the bustle and get out of the city.  Drag my poor family in every compass direction just to see what's there.

 

Part of that is I don't like wilderness, I like countryside.  And there is a huge difference.  There is very little countryside in Utah - Heber Valley comes pretty close.  There was little in my previous home in Alberta, but when I lived in Ontario there was plenty.

And of course, England...

[Garden Girl]

 

Part of that is I don't like wilderness, I like countryside.  And there is a huge difference.  There is very little countryside in Utah - Heber Valley comes pretty close.  There was little in my previous home in Alberta, but when I lived in Ontario there was plenty.

And of course, England...

 

I agree about England... and Wales... and Ireland...

Hubby and I had three weeks (not enough time) in the British Isles and just loved it... talk about emerald.  We loved driving through the English countryside (Cottswold country) and seeing all the sheep, and right out in the middle of the field the remains of a rock priory, etc.  No grafitti, just a beautiful relic of the medieval past...

We loved the rock walls that divided the properties much like we would have a wire fence.  You can see some of them in the picture.  

Yes, I love countryside vs wilderness also... although Zion and Bryce are pretty spectacular... there's plenty of "countryside" available and we've camped and fished in lovely areas.  One of my favorites is Silver Lake(?), a beautiful high mountain lake above Bishop, CA with the most beautiful trout... German Browns, Rainbow, etc. 

 

GG

[Calm]

My idea of roughing it is a 2 1/2 star hotel....I love walking in the woods, being around nature, but when it comes time to sleep I like to be indoors.

But I often like to get away from the bustle and get out of the city.  Drag my poor family in every compass direction just to see what's there.

 

Part of that is I don't like wilderness, I like countryside.  And there is a huge difference.  There is very little countryside in Utah - Heber Valley comes pretty close.  There was little in my previous home in Alberta, but when I lived in Ontario there was plenty.

And of course, England...

I was going to suggest a walking tour of England (assuming you can still do those, I learned of them from Christie and Sayers' murder mysteries so my info is dated) when I read your last sentence.

[volgadon]

There's a place here in Utah called Hardware Ranch where visitors can take a wagon ride and get fairly up-close-and-personal looks at quite a few elk.  If anyone is ever in the vicinity, I highly recommend it.  (And with all due sympathy for your wayward moose, I don't feel really sorry for the elk; it's where they naturally hang out. )

 

A year or two ago, there was a Moose walking down Main St in Logan, probably for all those too lazy to drive to Hardware Ranch. Oh, and there was a police pursit.

[volgadon]

I was going to suggest a walking tour of England (assuming you can still do those, I learned of them from Christie and Sayers' murder mysteries so my info is dated) when I read your last sentence.

 

 

Oh, and Nine Tailors is the best.

[Calm]

Nine Tailors....almost made me want to become a bell ringer/puller...whatever the proper term is, way too tired tonight to remember save that I am wrong...I just remember something called changes...as a teen but the second time I read it, i had a kid and it made me exhausted instead, lol.

iI should have added Allingham...my three favourites, like Josephine Tey as well but don't read hers over and over every couple of years which I do the other three.

Great song, love the blend of the voices.

Edited November 19, 2014 by calmoriah