Another Weekend, Another Camping Adventure
We went camping again this weekend.
A little bit less than an ideal set up.
It was raining as we pulled up to the campsite, and then it poured like Noah was in town.
Let me tell you, setting up a tarp and tent in the rain is not my idea of fun. The tarp kept filling up with water and our tent actually had a leak! After some creative spider-like work with ropes, we managed to shield most of the tent from water and our eating area.
I started a campfire in the rain, and it rocked. We cooked our dinner on there.
Later on Dennis and Lorraine showed up and we played some cards.
It rained all night, which is nice to listen to when you are semi-dry in a tent.
The next day the rain had ceased to pour. The ground absorbed a lot of the water, so the hiking was pretty good. We actually had a great hike. On our way back, though, we happened across some not-so-rare wildlife…
Stupidus Maximus…
Does a Bear Give a Shit In the Woods?
In Algonquin Park Moose will sometimes appear along the side of the road. This leads to people parking their cars to marvel at nature. This is called a Mooose Jam. It’s not so bad when people pull off a safe distance and behave themselves.
Mrs. J and I were driving back from Hemlock Bluff Trail when we saw what we thought to be a Moose Jam. We pulled off of the Highway a short walk from where everyone seemed to be standing and walked back. I didn’t really take any moose photos this year, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to snag some.
As we approached, I wondered how small this Moose was. As tall as the vegetation was, I should have still been able to see it.
That’s when I saw the black fur.
Mrs. J spoke in a hushed voice…
Bear.
Indeed. I saw a cub disappear into the woods and I saw a mother Bear snacking on leaves with her other cub. I readied my camera and gave Mrs. J the car keys figuring she would take this to mean open the doors if things get hot. I was standing about 15-20m away from the peaceful scene.
Meanwhile, the throng of people next to me was not so peaceful. Their kids were getting too close for comfort to the bears and one guy stepped out of his car, leaving the door open for his yappy dog to potentially come out and cause problems.
People were stopped in the middle of the highway to take pictures.
I was going to say something when a Ranger pulled up and told the people that the middle of the highway is not a parking lot and that it is not advised to be so close to a mother and her cubs.
I was nowhere near as close as some and I was ready to deal with whatever happened, because I am aware of how fast a bear can move. Most of these people had no clue.
Another thing that pissed me off is that quite a number of them were all carrying pretty hefty camera hardware. But they didn’t have the courtesy that went along with it. I have no real good shots of the scene because people would walk in front of my camera after they got their shots.
I wish I could have pushed them closer to the bear.
That photo would have been entertaining. 
Speaking of photos, I will post some of the shots from the weekend on my photo website tonight. (UPDATED IN THE PM: You can click the link on the left to see the ten most recent photos I have taken. They are not all that good, as a lot of my better ones are in portrait orientation, and I am too lazy to do a script for those.)
Don’t Send Cash In the Mail
A fellow blogger had expressed an interest in purchasing one of my photos. We agreed on the rate and she agreed to send the money as soon as possible.
However, she received her envelope back a few days after she had sent it indicating insufficient postage (which was odd). It had also been opened and was missing the cash destined to pay for her photo.
Remember, everyone. It’s unfortunate that we can’t trust everyone. If you’re going to send money, a cheque or money order is harder for someone to steal and get away with.
Filed under: General Dialogue, Rants, Spaces Archive | 5 Comments »
Barking Space 