My blog is dedicated to folding trailers (AKA PopUps or PUP’s). Hopefully non-PUP owners will find some of the posts of interest/value.
I’ll cover equipment, modifications, maintenance, camping stories, and of course SPUT’s (Stupid Pop Up Tricks). Please forgive my rants & raves and posts on my camping buddy – my granddaughter.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I try and keep the post short but augment them with pictures from my SmugMug gallery.
Enjoy.
He Ruide
I’ll cover equipment, modifications, maintenance, camping stories, and of course SPUT’s (Stupid Pop Up Tricks). Please forgive my rants & raves and posts on my camping buddy – my granddaughter.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I try and keep the post short but augment them with pictures from my SmugMug gallery.
Enjoy.
He Ruide
Close encounter of the furry kind
Posted 07-29-2008 at 01:55 PM by heruide
Yes it was the spring of a couple years ago when my wife and I camped at Lake Cowan in Ohio and I had my own close encounter. I left the some of the Hummer doors open while I transferred food and clothes to the PUP. On one trip back to the Hummer, I open the front passenger door only to find a furry animal sitting in the driver’s seat. I’m not sure who was more frightened but it certainly took me off guard and I froze.
Now don’t ask me why, but the only thing I could remember was if two people are walking in the woods and run into a bear – your goal is not to out run the bear but just run faster than the other person. Well that was not an option since there were no other campers nearby and DW was safe inside the PUP.
Well it turned out the furry animal was not a bear but a large raccoon. Not wanting to scare it and the resulting involuntary waste excretion, I did not shout but just clapped my hands as if I was doing a “Clapper” ad at Christmas.
By this time the raccoon was standing up with his front paws on the steering wheel. With my clapping, I think it figured I was giving my approval for it to take the Hummer for a test drive…. which it could have done - since I left the keys in the ignition switch. However, with more clapping it figured I really wanted it to leave… which in did in a huff.
I closed the doors and returned into the PUP to tell DW of the encounter. She of course thought it was real funny and proceeded to call DD’s and ether shared that I had run into the PUP scared to death OR, with her best cave man imitation, said I came into the PUP saying “Woman... Me good hunter. Me have coon meat. Start fire and cook dinner.”
After she stopped laughing I returned outside only to find that Rocky Raccoon was back and this time had pulled the zipper and opened a pocket of a soft side cooler. I was a little more forceful in running it off. However, I did lock up the PUP before I went to sleep… thinking that Rocky would pay us another visit.
“Hello this is OnStar. How can I help you?”
“ Hi. My Hummer has just been stolen.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“Well I’m at a state park with a PUP trailer. Unfortunately I left my Hummer door open and the keys inside and a critter stole it.”
“Sir, have your heard of the concept of personal responsibility?
“Yes I have.”
“Well then you know you should not park your Hummer with the doors open and the keys inside in a high crime trailer park. Sir, what you did was just an open invitation to criminals.”
“Madam, I’m at a camp ground not a trailer park and it is not a high crime area.”
“OK. I’ll call the police but first can you describe the person that stole your Hummer?”
“It is not a person. It is a gray and black raccoon.”
“Sir you mean the person was wearing a hat like Davy Crockett's? What a fashion statement.”
“Madam, It is an animal not a person that stole my Hummer”
“Sir… Have you been drinking?”
“Well I had one glass of wine but I’m not drunk.”
“Sir, Are you on drugs?
“No.”
“This might violate your privacy but do you have a history of mental illness?”
“No. Why are you asking me these questions?”
“Well sir. You know we tape calls and use them on ads. I think I need your permission to use this call as we have never had one just like this. How can I say this? Cell phone call: $10. Davy Crockett coon hat: $15. This unbelievable story? PRICELESS.
At this point I got my wake up call from a wood pecker on the tree above the PUP and realized the OnStar call was just a nightmare. However, I will confess I did peep out side just to confirm that the Hummer was still there.
Here are some pictures of the Lake Cowan camp ground.
Ruide
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