Heeeeeeeeey BOOBOO,

[Dragonslayer]

The last night of the Vogel IV /Tail of the Dragon event turned out to be quite exciting.

The day began with a nice early morning ride with Blackjack to Blairsville to have breakfast with Eck, SleeperHawk and his Mechanic, 1rooster and several other VR members. Afterward we returned to Vogel to hook up with Squidley, Yammer Dan, Broken spoke, Raceman62 and Melinda for a ride over Hog Pen Gap to Suches then North up 60 to Stechoa Gap Rd. to Blairsville then back to Vogel.

Then there was the BBQ dinner and the drawing for prizes and the 50/50 drawing. When Lewis called the numbers for the 50/50 drawing. My enthusiasm grew and grew as he called each digit 9-2-1-1-1-------------7, Ah Cr_p my tickets ended with 1-8, 1-9,2-0.

Well anyway the money goes to a good cause. I was just sorry that half the money didn't go to my favorite charity------ME. I was however very thankful later that Raceman62 had won the first aid kit which came in handy the next day wrapping up my road rash. Thank you Raceman62 for sharing it with me and the person who donated it as a prize. As I said it came in very handy. (I did However, win the auction for the last set of Squidley running light brackets that I have wanted for a long time:)I'm sure that being the last set they will end up being a collector's item someday.

After the drawing I was able to spend some quality time with John and Melinda (Raceman62race) enjoying some good conversation and adult libations. Followed by a solo swim under the stars. I then went home to my tent where I found that my tent site companion Blackjack had packed up and left. At that point there was nothing left to do but lay down for a good night's sleep with the restful music of the blue ridge mountains playing in my ears through the ear spud speakers of mp3 player.

All of a sudden (at approximately 2:30 am) there was a loud CRASH right outside of the tent window by my head where Blackjacks tent would have been. I jumped up from my slumbers and unzipped the window flap to see (by the light of the mp3 player display) my pick-a-nik basket (which had been sitting on the pick-a-nik table) had been hurled and scattered right out side of my tent. (see photos attached)

At that moment I'm sure I heard a voice saying.. "Heeeeeeeey BOOBOO, screw that Pick-a-nik basket and come help me grab this cooler.... The Ranger is coming". Then there was a smaller voice replying "OK Yogi".

When I finally got my tent door flap unzipped I ran out of the tent waving my MP3 player where I thought I saw (By the light of the MP3 player display) one large bear wearing gloves holding on to the pole hook next to the pick-a-nik table with a smaller bear on his shoulders removing my soft shell cooler off the hook where I had placed it earlier making it bear proof.... I thought.

Realizing how naked and unarmed I was, in my underwear waving a MP3 player, :whistling:I quickly retreated to my scatterd pick-a-nik basket where I found (by the light of my mp3 player display) a pot, a large metal spoon, and my battery operated camping lantern. (see pics attached) When I got the lantern turned on, I heard two different voices giggling with a tee-he-he-he-hee and saw two bears (one large wearing gloves and one small) running into the woods carrying my blue soft shelled cooler.

I used the pot and spoon as a noise maker hoping that it would startle the bears into dropping my cooler and run them off. After putting on my pants and boots, (which made me feel much braver) I was joined by my camp site neighbor who was awakened by all of the commotion. With my new found courage, illumination, weaponry and back-up camper we did a circular search in the immediate area for my cooler while being careful not to penetrate too deeply into the dark shadowed underbrush on the other side of the creek.

Not finding my cooler, we returned to our respective camp sites where I managed to find my bike keys to unlock my trunk after remembering that I had been packing heat stored in my trunk (where it did me a lot of good at the time). I packed the heat in my pants pocket and went back to bed keeping my pants and boots on. I carefully placed my pot, spoon, lantern and MP3 player within convenient reach in case of an emergency and went back to sleep.... as much as I could with one eye open and one ear unplugged by the MP3 player ear spud speaker. I didn't want to unplug both ears because I knew by my more alert adrenaline filled brain that if I had to jump up again as long as one ear spud speaker was inserted in my ear the MP3 player would be dangling along side my 3rd shirt button within easy reach, in case of another emergency.

Which came about an hour later. Once the crime scene had settled down and I was finally drifting back off to sleep I was again awakened by a commotion outside of the tent window. AGAIN by the light of the MP3 player display I saw the bears rummaging through the contents of the pick-a-nik basket.

Grabbing the lantern, pot and spoon, (the heat still packed into my pants pocket) I ran out of the tent. Just in time to hear two different voices giggling with a tee-he-he-he-heee and see two bears ( one large wearing gloves and one small) running off into the woods carrying arm loads of Romaine dried noodles, condiments and my prized package of powdered coco, which I had been saving for a cold rainy day.:rippedhand:AGAIN! The only thing I could think of at the time was to yell at the bears as they ran off "YOU BETTER BRING BACK YAMMER DAN'S RIDING GLOVES OR HE IS GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH HIS CRUTCHES". :soapbox:They didn't seemed impressed or scared because they didn't come back after that to return the gloves.

I didn't get much sleep after that. Oh, I might of dozed a little until daylight, but, it's hard to sleep with one eye and ear open, and a loaded gun in your pants pocket. Once it was daylight I followed the debris trail into the underbrush where I found the remains of my cooler and contents where the marauding bears must have dined within eyesight of and within 50 feet of my tent. I must have walked within feet of the dining bears on our circular search of the area earlier that morning.

 

Upon finding and analyzing the evidence :detective:I learned this about the marauding bears.

1. They were evidently very smart bears due to their ability to talk and giggle.
   
2. They were some what athletic due to their ability to climb on to each others shoulders to remove the cooler from the pole hook and run off into the woods carrying arms loads of stolen goods.
   
3. They don't care to much for lettuce, tomatoes, whole wheat honey nut bread or pepper because they only gnawed into them but didn't eat them.
   
4. They do like ham, cheese, Romaine dried noodles, salt, powdered Coco because they ate them up.
   
5. They did not have a can opener because they left the can of Tuna Fish. (Dolphine safe tuna fish)
   
6. BOOBOO evidently loves Duke's Mayonnaise because he must have been the one to unscrew the lid of the mayonnaise jar and lick it clean. He even licked the label off the jar. It could not have been Yogi because I don't see how Yogi could have unscrewed the lid wearing gloves.
   
7. They were not Baptist and liked to party. I know this because they consumed the entire contents of the plastic container I had in the cooler which was filled with pre-mixed Gin and Tonic.
   
8. They must have been Federally employed secret spy double nought bears because they left one intriguing piece of physical evidence on the pick-a-nik table. A lapel pin with the logo of the Central Intelligence Agency.
   

I swear that all of the above is true and I can prove it by the photo evidence attached.

OK I admit I did evoke poetic license and did embellish the story somewhat for entertainment value.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Dragonslayer
To be totally honest

[Squidley]

OMG!

....and to think that they were wearing Yammers gloves! the nerve of those bears

[DragonRider]

Me thinks Bob had to much of that pre-mix gin and tonic...................:starz:

 

 

OMG!

 

....and to think that they were wearing Yammers gloves! the nerve of those bears

[Dragonslayer]

Me thinks Bob had to much of that pre-mix gin and tonic...................:starz:

Not True... When this happened I was suddenly very sober

[Eck]

And people ask me why I dont camp........

[Snaggletooth]

When you camp in bear territory you have to understand how to deal with bears! Wasn't there a sign with information?

[Dragonslayer]

When you camp in bear territory you have to understand how to deal with bears! Wasn't there a sign with information?

Good Advice

[Yammer Dan]

So it was Yogi with the gloves.. Anybody for Bear Steak???

I can make a 1st Gen seat cover from his hide!!

[KarlS]

:rotfl::rotfl:

 

Man you can write. Let me know when your first book comes out.

[kenw]

Are you sure it wasn't Dan out for a midnight snack!

[Thistledown]

Loved your story