theboondork's RV blog

Fear

10/7/2020

Clicking the pics won't make you rich and famous.... But it won't hurt.

Weird fern like bush with fuzzy red things growing on it overhanging a nearby creek.

While sitting in my easy chair relaxing with a cup of coffee, I was thinking about when I would like to leave on my mini-vacation to southern Colorado in search of the elusive and from what I understand, quite tasty, Sandhill Cranes. But as usual, while I was attempting to concentrate on the best day to leave, my mind wandered off to a completely different subject, which happened to be "fear."

I recall a while back someone asking me about boondocking off by myself, and was I ever afraid? And since I'm heading off on another trip, maybe as early as sometime next week. I got to wondering to myself, am I afraid? After all, there's plenty of reasons to be fearful. Traffic accidents, breakdowns, the Bat flu, no close-by medical attention, sleeping in the dark all by myself. When I was young, I needed a teddy bear to get me through the dark, scary night, but the teddy bear has been replaced with a Glock, which though not as cuddly, still works better than the teddy bear.

Have I ever been in a place where I was afraid? No, not really. Living part of my life in Dade County Florida, the most dangerous area in the United States while I was there, imbued me with some pretty good survival skills in quickly determining where I shouldn't be. And since I still have some of those skills, I don't go to places where I shouldn't be and therefore have no reason to be afraid.

The Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona, is an example of that. In some towns, the Fairgrounds are not in very good areas, and as a general rule, I wouldn't be inclined to stay in one. But If I remember correctly, I pulled in there only because the casino I wanted to boondock at was closed. I didn't want to be at a noisy fairgrounds with sketchy neighborhoods around it, expensive and crowded RV camping, but I figured I would spend the night and move on.

It turns out there were no neighbors around the Fairgrounds. They had a large and reasonably priced boondocking area where I am almost always the only RV in it. The Fairgrounds is very convenient to shopping, there's lots to do in the area, Fairground events are going on practically every weekend, and it's turned into one of my favorite places to be even though I was "afraid" I wouldn't like it.

Yes, there are all kinds of things to be afraid of, some real, some imagined, but I figure if I let all of those fears control my life, I'm not going to have much of a life, and I would miss out on many good times. I look back at some of the places I've been as a full-timer, and especially a boondocker, and there have been times when I've had to force myself to go someplace new or try something different and usually find out when I get there it was a lot better than I thought it would be, and changed my life for the better.

theboondork

My granddaughter. I've got to get some pictures of my grandson before he's grown.

A nearby Honeybee hive. I made sure there were no Murder Hornets in the area before I walked up to it.

Taylor Lake near Tincup Colorado

12 Comments

Frank Souze

10/8/2020 03:29:58 pm

Very interesting & thought provoking post Tom.
My father, uncles & the military taught me fear is mental and your ability to understand whats creating the fear helps you control the fear rather that allowing it to control you.- or people fear what they don't understand....doesn't mean I wasn't scared s***l** at times
Also fear & danger are not one in the same - one is real the other is perceived - respect Danger.
For most , its easier to fear something - it requires effort and courage to try and understand the source of the fear.
With the crowds you and other boondocking posters are beginning to run into while pursuing your mojo, its likely the danger quotient will surge as well.
Yes, I concur - a sidearm is a necessary tool and can be helpful with controlling danger while boondocking and participating in remote activities and having too much fun..

Tom

10/8/2020 04:05:33 pm

I have a few fears myself with the fear of heights being the most debilitating because I absolutely will not get on an airplane, which is rather odd because being in the Air Force I had to fly pretty regular.

Yes I believe that crowds this winter will make camping in the warm areas more difficult, and maybe more dangerous simply because of the added traffic and a whole lot of brand-new shiny RVers that don't have very much experience pulling trailers or driving large vehicles. But I guess if my usual boondocking spots are too crowded I will have to find new and maybe even better boondocking spots out of necessity.

I've had a concealed carry permit for over 30 years and in that time I've never had to pull my gun. There have been a few times when it made me feel better being there, but even then in the end I was just being overly cautious and a threat never occurred. So I've never been in a situation where I actually needed a handgun but nonetheless I sleep better when it's near me.

Tom

Judith

10/8/2020 08:39:36 pm

Yup. Using your smarts rather than relying a gun is the answer as far as I am concerned. . I have a lot of gun stories, but there is no room here, and possibly, they would not be as interesting to others as they are to me, so I will refrain. In my old age, in spite of many guns having been in my life in various ways, I still have only one. A bolt action 22 rifle from when I was a kid. I always preferred revolvers....because I knew where the bullets were. But now that I am living in a safe enough little town, it's stored in a cedar chest at the end of my bed. Even if I got it out, it wouldn't be a protection against the creeping decrepitude of old age, which seems to be the major 3AM fear. Maybe I should go somewhere risky. Ha. I live in Texas.

10/8/2020 09:29:46 pm

Creeping decrepitude? LOL! I love it. I hope you won't sue me for plagiarism if I find a way to work that into a blog post someday.

Using your smarts rather than a gun is always the best way to go. Unless you run into someone who is no longer in possession of any smarts whatsoever, and no longer has the mental faculties to appreciate your stunning repartee, and brilliant wit. At which time that revolver will become your most precious possession. And by the way I didn't think people still had cedar chests anymore.

I don't think Texans are known for walking away from a gunfight, but your lucky you still have the Texas Rangers to come to your aid if you run out of those six bullets.

Tom

10/8/2020 08:40:26 pm

P.S. Yes you certainly should take some photos of that boy!

10/8/2020 09:30:47 pm

Actually I just did, when he got home from school this afternoon, and they should be on my blog tomorrow.

Tom

Larry Worsham

10/9/2020 05:19:00 am

Most of us old timers have learned what I term as "Situational Awareness" As a retired LEO 30 yr. I had to learn it at a young age as most military types do. If it doesn't feel right it probably isn't. I don't live life in fear I live it aware. Today lots of people are lost in their electronics and drama and don't pay attention as to what is going on around them. As an example I don't like heights....I'm not afraid of them but they are not comfortable to me so I don't expose my self to them. Be aware and be safe........

10/9/2020 08:24:58 am

Thank you Larry, and thank you for your service. Depending on where you're working I think LEO's are exposed to more danger on a day-to-day basis than most military people, after all, most folks in the military don't spend their entire career in a combat zone, but LEO's in some cities do.

I reckon your lucky not to be an LEO nowadays. In fact right now I don't know why anybody would want to be a policeman. Between the pay cuts, the increased danger, the lack of respect, little to no punishment for the people you risk your life to bring to justice, being thrown under the bus by the weak-kneed politicians you work for, I don't see any incentive to get someone to join the police force.

I'm not super afraid of heights but I have noticed that as I get older the fear gets worse not better.

Tom

10/10/2020 05:06:03 am

Thank you. I was blessed to work during a good time for law enforcement. I just started during the ramp up of professional incentives that occured after the civil unrest that started in the late 60's and retired in 2000. Most folks are ignorant of the life LEO's face. My attitude was living two lives. One at work and one away from work. But shift work, holiday work, and call outs took their toll on the personal life but it was worth it at the time. I accepted the exposure to danger as part of the job. I would not choose my former career now.

10/10/2020 08:53:00 am

It's a shame that society has gone in the direction it has, and it really did start in the 60's when us baby boomers were old enough to have an effect on society, but not old enough to realize we were idiots.

I think there's a lot of correlation between being in the military and being a cop. They're both more than just a career, their a lifestyle. Since my dad was a lifer in the Air Force I know a little about the stress living like that puts not only on the individual but also on the families.

Both of those careers also share the fact that their high stress, dangerous, difficult for the families to deal with, unpredictable, and notoriously low-paying, which is just the opposite of what you might think for jobs like that. I always found it ironic that we pay people that entertain us excessive amounts of money, and the people that keep us safe and often save our lives, live just above the poverty line.

Oh well, one way of telling we're old and totally out of touch, is when we start talking about how great the good old days were, and how everything is now changing for the worse. Maybe we do that because were no longer a part of anything anymore, were just spectators, and armchair quarterbacks that live in the past because a past is just about all we've got. But in this particular case I think I'm right... The country IS going to hell in a handbasket.

Tom

Linda Sand

10/9/2020 06:05:15 pm

When I was living alone in a van during the winter a friend named me RV Braveheart. I still don't understand what she thought was brave about that. After all, if I accidentally got into a place that didn't feel safe all I had to do was turn the key and drive away.

10/9/2020 06:46:48 pm

That is a definite built-in safety feature in vans, class C's, and motorhomes, you don't have to step outside to leave.

I think being able to drive away without getting outside, a 38 special revolver, and a good dose of common sense can make just about anyone an "RV Braveheart" while boondocking.

Tom

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