At least this one is unique:
Bo Zarts (26,022 posts)
I put my wilderness fire lookout on lockdown today. No more visitations by members of the public.
Again, like in 2023, I must be extremely vague about my location. Given the tragedy last Sunday in Coeur d’Alene and events today (7/4) in the vicinity of the lookout, I think you will understand.
I opened up the lookout on July 1. Usually during the July 4 holiday week there are some ATV riders that come up the hell-rough road to the tower. But none came until today (a rather cool, cloudy day which turned to rain, drizzle, and fog). Shortly after noon two side-by-sides (RZRs) and a quad came up. A man and woman (50-ish) in each RZR, and a teenage boy on the quad. More about them later.
During the hour or so preceding their arrival in the vicinity of the lookout, there were about eight concussive explosions from places well below me and maybe within three miles. Not fireworks. I thought: C-4 or 82mm mortars, harkening back to my Vietnam days. But then four more explosions seemed to be getting closer, and coming from the general direction of the road leading up to the lookout. Then I saw the three ATVs .. then they stopped at the saddle between my peak and the next over. Then there was a much louder explosion from the direction of the ATVs.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the national forest below me, was sporadic gunfire of all descriptions. But that is the nature of July 4 in the woods in the wild west.
Not longer after that last explosion, I saw the ATVs start moving again. I knew that they would be on the peak, below my 30’ lookout, in about six minutes. I didn’t need to lockdown because I stay lock-downed.
I watched as they parked and shutdown the ATVs. One male RZR driver had on a red hat that said “I.C.E.” I shit you not. What kind of sadistic ****ing joke was THAT? Or was it a joke? He had a handgun in a chest-carry. The other male RZR driver had a MAGA hat, but no visible weapons.
One of the women passengers got out of the ATV and walked towards the stairs to the tower. I then went out on the catwalk and greeted her .. pleasantly. She asked if they could come up and visit the lookout.
At that point, I got to use a concocted story that two other lookouts and I had discussed last night. “I am sorry, but recent tragic events in Coeur d’Alene have necessitated changes in security procedures at remote locations like this. I’m sure that you understand. The lookout is closed to all visitors and, beyond that I am not authorized to discuss any security arrangements.”
Yes, she said. (Gunfire in distance). Things like that, I said.
“AND PEOPLE ARE EVEN EXPLODING SEMTEX,” she says. Who the **** said anything about Semtex? How did she extract that term out of what we had discussed so far? Semtex is not C-4, but it is similar. And Semtex is preferred by terrorists because it is hard to trace.
I’m fairly sure that this was all innocuous, including the ****ing ICE hat. But maybe it wasn’t. All aspects of this event were documented and reported.
I’m not paranoid. But I am.
Bo Zarts
For those unfamiliar with this DUmmy he spends every summer working in a fire watchtower out west. His being "vague" about his location is rather silly, since he's already posted that he's in Idaho and he likes to post pictures which make it easy to tell which tower he's manning. But if it soothes his paranoia so be it. But he's actually claiming that people are running around in the woods randomly shooting guns and setting off Semtex. Semtex? Really? And putting a watchtower in lockdown? What does that even mean? If anyone wanted to cause him harm it wouldn't be terribly difficult when he's only 30' off the ground. But of course, the DUmp monkey eat it up.
WhiteTara (30,893 posts)
2. that seems terrifying
You are so wonderful to be a lookout, even without terrorists coming to visit.
Yep, Hamas came to say hello.
Tarzanrock (1,166 posts)
3. Welcome to the Turd's 'Police State.'
These jackbooted, armor wearing Gestapo Assholes are everywhere in 'Occupied' Los Angeles. Your 'paranoia' is not overdone. Be careful and stay safe!
A couple of people out running the trails on their ATV's is exactly the same as "jackbooted, armor wearing Gestapo".
CaliforniaPeggy (154,449 posts)
4. Oh boy, my dear Bo . . .
I am quite relieved that you got through that episode unscathed. I know you're being very careful.
A certain amount of paranoia is a very healthy thing.
Thank God he escaped unscathed. Talking to strangers having fun can be quite traumatizing.
malthaussen (18,157 posts)
18. They want to kill their neighbors.
In my experience, all this "small town hospitality" noise is just bullshit. People in small towns are haters of everything.
-- Mal
I live in a small town and I don't want to kill my neighbors. What am I doing wrong?
CentralMass (16,240 posts)
11. I wont ask, but I hope that you are armed.
A few years ago, Bo Zarts posted that he was getting scared of the coyotes and mountain lions getting a little too close to his watchtower and he asked for advice on what weapon he should purchase to protect himself and his dog. The responses were predictably hilariously stupid. But one of the highlights of the thread was that someone recommended .22LR, which supposed Vietnam Vet Bo Zarts had never heard of. Then someone recommended .233 Rem, which he also had never heard of. Then there was a subthread where they argued that .22LR and .223 Rem were almost the same round. And, of course, either round was perfectly capable of vaporizing a bear at 100 yards.
58Sunliner (5,858 posts)
29. That is scary.
And the thread continues on and on about how extremely frightening it is to actually encounter someone who may not share the same political views. I don't know how these people actually go out in public. They seem incapable of interacting with normal human beings.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220460609
