May 21, 2015 - Old Nice Man

Thursday, May 21, 2015

It rained during the night and the morning was dark and damp. The sun shone brightly for some hours and then it turned dark, cold, and windy again. It was also cooler than the previous week, in the 60s all day.

A young woman came to the door about 0820 wanting to know what to do. They had set up on Site 3, but did not have the cash. Her father was on the way with a credit card so she could get some cash at an ATM. Andy told her to put the tab on the board and keep the envelope until she had the cash. Then put the envelope in the iron ranger.

The tent campground was full last night. Several campers left this morning, but hoverers took the empty sites immediately. When we walked up to the registration board, two notes were put up instead of envelope tabs. The young woman from Site 3 put up this one.

“Old nice man! She can’t be talking about me; I’m only 78.”

The other note was from the folks who had moved into Site 10.

They could not just pull another pay envelope out of the slot, because the slot was empty. I put more than enough envelopes for every campsite to turn over every day. They must be using them to start their campfires. I had brought some envelopes with me and gave the woman one to fill out and put on the board.

The guys in Site 7 were working on their camp stove. It was a nice propane stove, but they had left it out in the rain last night and it would not light. One of the men was carefully drying it with paper towels. Junior, from Site 8, walked over and offered them a pack of matches. I told them that if they couldn’t get it started to come to the RV and they could use my blow dryer to dry it out.

The two men in Site 5 were cooking breakfast. Look at that huge pot full of noodles. If that monk eats like that all the time, he’ll be a Buddha soon.

The man with Parkinson’s Disease in Site 2 is named Tony. He told us he did some walking today. His ex-wife came to stay with him today. We met her the last time he camped here. When we talked to him then, he was concerned about the medicine he is taking. How long could they increase the dosage as he declines?  Today he told us his doctor said he is taking only 40 percent of what can safely be prescribed. It comforted Tony to know that he has more time on the medicine that has made such a difference to him.

I don’t know if this dog is really as shy as he seemed, but when we approached Site 11 he ducked behind a chair and peered out at us from behind it. He did come out for a pet while we talked.

They have a lot of gear in their campsite, but are regular campers here and assure us that it will all be put away.

I noticed the grill in the group picnic site had trash in it. I intended to pick it up after we walked around the campground, but forgot it. It is surprising to me how many people use the grills to leave trash. They can’t miss that huge dumpster in the parking lot.

We saw our first fish of the season in the creek. There were two or three small ones and two large ones. I love the way the water is invisible in this picture.

The chef in Site 12 left this morning. He was called back to work for a meeting so I only got a picture of five of them.

I asked them how they became a regular camping group, thinking they had been work associates or something. But they actually met each other through friends and family. They are leaving early in the morning and I am sad to see them go. We have enjoyed chatting with them every day. When we got to Site 12 this morning, Andy was complaining about the note and being called an old nice man. One of the guys quipped, “What?  She said you are nice?”

There are a lot of poplar petals on the ground. Today I found a full blossom in the horse camp. We expected three site to be occupied, but there were only two with trailers in them this afternoon.

The woman who stayed in Junior’s site told us she saw a bear last night. It was next to the toilet building when she took a late-night trip. One of the men in Site 11 said he saw one in the woods uphill from the campground. Both of them described it as a small bear, so it must have been the same bear. We reminded everyone to keep a clean campsite so as not to invite the bear into the campground.

The men in Site 10 said they heard a boar squealing “plain as day” across the creek about noon.

Andy spotted our first mushrooms of the season.

I think I have a mouse in my house. This is the third night I have heard scuffling while I write the log. When I get up to figure out where the sound is coming from, it stops.

On the radio:

A man in the Elkmont campground cut his hand “pretty bad”. He was not requesting an ambulance, but did want a medic to look at it.

A 16-inch tree was down across the road. A road crew guy (588) was on his way to cut it up with a hand saw.

Dispatch called for law enforcement rangers to BOLO for a white male, 25 years of age. He has a weapon and has said that he would shoot any law enforcement people he comes in contact with. He may be using an alias. He is traveling with a male companion. He is a meth producer, seller, and user.

BOLO for a green Chevy Cavalier. The police were called for a domestic dispute, but the couple had left home with a small child before the police could get there. The rangers were instructed to make a welfare check if they spotted the car.

VP1 called dispatch to say that she was with a man who was sick in a pull-off . The man was dizzy and vomiting, but did not want any assistance. Ranger 412 instructed VP1 to stand by in case his symptoms changed or he requested assistance. Later, VP1 called in to say the man was better and the party was on their way.

There was another bear (350) at Laurel Falls about 1500.

A large tractor-trailer was heading northbound through the park toward Clingman’s Dome. The person reporting thought the trailer was 53 feet long. I don’t see how he can fit through the loop up on the mountain. Andy asked if truckers are stupid. They always get caught driving through the park.

At 1715, the elk were coming down into the field at Couch’s Creek. Luftee Rover headed that way, presumably to control traffic and not the elk.

The Abram’s Creek campground was ready to be opened. The person reporting said that he had replaced the iron ranger and put payment envelopes in the registration station.