This morning, as we were finishing breakfast inside the VRRV; Martha spotted the local camp host nosing around just outside the camper:
The bear detected movement through the window I think, as I moved to it to grab my camera. The bear then moved smartly away from our campsite, and by the time I got outside with the telephoto lens; I watched it disappear into the woods across the road!
So the above is our only photographic evidence. Cool experience, I was very surprised to see him, as was Martha.
An hour or so later, Martha left to go home to take care of some stuff and left me to finish off the camping trip.
I went riding on Yagi to check out both the Revival Site (site of yearly camping trip/meetup) and also the Hotel Gulch Road.
I turned too early along FR324 and ended up at a different site than the Revival site. It's good that I did though because I found a large garbage dump at the end of the trail!
Some ass wipe or ass wipes for using the Forest as a dump site for their trash! Damn them.
I got the GPS coordinates and later sent the pictures above to the supervisor's office for the Pike NF. The lady, Christina, that answered the phone gave me her email and she said she would send pics and GPS coordinates to the appropriate authority.
It was just way too much trash for me to try to pick up, besides the normal trash pickup I do at the campsites that I use.
Such dump sites only confirm for me that humanity mostly disappoints.
After the above find, I made it to the Revival site and climbed the rock pile that is next to it:
It's not as sketchy as it looks, climbing this pile of rocks. There's a doable path of sorts and you just have to take it slow and steady both on the way up and down.
Here's the view from the top:
10 comments:
People leaving trash is so disgusting. People can be so selfish and inconsiderate.
Great morning to have a bear visit.
I quite agree, Oz.
Nice pic of the curious bear. On the trash: we also find here and there garbage from jerks that dump in public lands. Sometimes even in campgrounds. Disgusting folks. Great trip!
Still Gravity, thanks for the comments.
Do you think people dump stuff on public lands because they are too lazy to take it somewhere or it costs too much to use the landfill. Last year, we were getting rid of a lot of yard debris in Colorado, and I was surprised at the restrictions and costs at the landfill.
RichardM, Yes the landfill dump fees are pretty expensive here. I did return to that site and ran into a ranger and he said that it actually looked better than it had before. He and his partner had apparently been monitoring this side trying to catch the dumpers. His theory is that this is where meth heads dump stuff they've stolen, collecting the metal bits to sell for drugs.
A bear sighting! I always found it a privilege watching wildlife in close (but safe) distance.
I do not understand those dumpers... why do they throw stuff in the deep of the forrest? In Germany we have a trash service twice a year where this kind of household trash can be put on the side of the street and get picked up by the garbage collectors of the city, for free of course, because we are a socialist country and pay garbage taxes... ;-)
What can I say, SonjaM, given a chance most people will disappoint.
We have bears here. Had a few visit in May tearing down bird feeders and over turning bird baths. A halt in the feeding stopped their visits but if we didn't live in the middle of a neighborhood I may have been tempted to lure them in a little while longer. Instead Kim and I monitor a YouTube channel in Russia where a fellow houses and feeds three semi-wild bears. Amazing creatures. I'm always excited when I see them on a ride.
Trash dumpers here aren't meth heads. Not sure how to characterize them but they feel inclined to dump freezers, stoves, bags full of disposable diapers, kitchen waste, yard waste, tires, and pretty much anything else anywhere they can pull off the road and dump something over the hillside. And judging by the advanced decay of some of the metal items I would say they have been dumping for decades. As you say, not the brighter side of humanity. Unlike the arid west, nature quickly takes over and often you can't see the trash unless you walk on it. Still no excuse...
Hope all is well with you. Stay cool!
Thanks for the comments Steve.
Your dumpers are throwing away valuable metal they could recycle for more drug money or whatever, at least according to the Ranger's theories.
All is mostly well, it's a bit warm of course. Hope things are going well at your end of the empire.
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