Home Again: More Things I Learned While Camping

We rolled in last night, back to prairie land and sky, after an all too brief visit to forest, mountains and lakes.  We saw antelope, deer, coyotes, coyotes hunting antelope, bears, bears lunching by a mountain stream.  It was good.  Every trip adds knowledge to my compendium of useful things to remember.  I share a few here with you, in no particular order:

• Camping involves a tent, small trailer, sleeping bags and, if you're lucky, perhaps a dog and/or child or two.  If you're parked in the woods in an RV which has an enclosed deck, satellite TV, hardwood floors and, possibly, a ballroom and it's large enough to block out the sun, you ain't camping. 
• Good books, art supplies, some sock knitting and defined territory help to keep the peace when sitting out storms in a trailer.
• Bullie farts set off the carbon monoxide/propane gas detector in confined quarters.
• Flexibility gained through yoga asanas is useful when climbing over baby gates in a 39 inch/100 cm wide space.
• Karbonz unbreakable double pointed needles make great skewers, ice picks and, if necessary, weapons. (They work pretty well for sock knitting, too.)
• 97.3 CKUA Radio Network is the most interesting radio station in the world.  Baba is its most interesting DJ.
• There is a lot of bad radio out there.
• There is nothing like a walk in the forest with a bull terrier.
• Bears do not care for dogs.
• Good advice: "When in rattlesnake country, do not stick your hands (or nose) down holes."
• More good advice: When the sign says, "Trail closed due to safety and environmental concerns," Believe it! (See the photo below: these rapids washed out the road and the trail.)

Namaste.