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Friday, November 14, 2008 - Oneonta NY

Onions - Arrey NM, Apr 26, 2008
Onions - Arrey NM, Apr 26, 2008

The weather is closing in and it's time to get a move on

About 1:30 today I finally got things arranged on the home front to the point where I could take off. I didn't get far today.

First on the agenda was a stop at All Season's RV Center in Pittsfield MA to get my propane tank topped up and from there I headed west through Albany NY and then down I-88 as far as Oneonta NY where I holed up in the Walmart parking lot for the night.

Night camp

Wal-Mart Parking Lot in Oneonta NY

Wal-Mart Supercenter in Oneonta NY

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #2262, 5054 State Hwy 23, Oneonta, NY 13820 - (607) 431-9557

Absolute Silence

I remembered hearing of a backcountry Park Service ranger who was cleaning up after dinner one evening when he heard a chilling scream. He ran out of his cabin in time to see a mountain lion standing with a dead deer next to her. The lion saw the ranger and bounded off. The ranger realized this might be a rare opportunity to closely observe a mountain lion, so he stationed himself a short distance away from the deer carcase. He sat in absolute silence, and listened closely as night deepened. After sitting in darkness for well over an hour, he gave up hope of the lion's returning and stood up. In the powerful beam of his flashlight, he could clearly see that the dead deer was no longer there. ...

Caught in Fading Light: Mountain Lions, Zen Masters, and Wild Nature by Gary Thorp

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