Taking a look back at my early childhood memories I can't even imagine what six kids with Mom and Dad in one car would look like thru a casual observers eyes. There was always something going on whenever they put all six kids together in a small area. It would begin with the fight for the preferred seat to stick to for the trip that typically would take us two to
three hours north of the Twin Cities. There were good times and some others that you would want to forget. Many different games were played with a few songs that were sung here and there. Upon arrival to our destination we would all scramble and do our specific chores to help set up camp. We were raised into high-end camping. A ten by ten canvas tent that had a rear sleeve that would attach around the rear of the station wagon. The six kids would sleep in sleeping bags in the tent while Mom and Dad would set up in the back of the station wagon that was open directly into the back of the tent. We thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Everybody wanted to sleep in the wagon.
Once the camp was set up it was time to take care of the cooking. I didn't understand it back then but my parents would cook some food on the grill and more on their portable propane camp stove. I have learned after some time that they were just trying to prepare the food as quickly as they could to keep everybody happy. One particular trip we were sitting around the campfire after we had our bellies filled, Dad was telling scary camping stories trying to get us scared enough to go hide out in our bags in the tent. All the kids fought it as long as they could before retiring for the night. Hours later I was enjoying a comfortable night of rest when I was suddenly wakened by the loud grunting and growling and the sounds of things being thrown around. I sprung out of the bag and started opening the zipper of the canvas flaps to sneak a peek at whatever was making all the noise. I was a kid of action sometimes without a well thought out plan.
What I saw and heard was this big black bear swatting our cooler around and getting more frustrated by the fact that it didn't pop open and this is all happening just 20-30 feet away from my surprised eyes. I looked around to see a few of my siblings watching too and the others were hiding as deep as they could go in their sleeping bags. When I looked back out at the bear it had stopped messing with the cooler and had found the camp stove. It probably could smell the splattered grease from our fried cooking. It seemed to look at it like it was trying to figure out what to do with it. The bear licked it a few times then it suddenly reared back and swatted it about twenty feet. All of the sudden a voice screams out "Hey!" and I just
about jumped right out of the tent. It had the same effect on the bear because it couldn't get out of there fast enough and tripped over the cooler on the way out of our campsite. Dad had scared the bear away and saved the day. I looked at my dad just as he says "That black bear sure didn't like our camp stove!"
three hours north of the Twin Cities. There were good times and some others that you would want to forget. Many different games were played with a few songs that were sung here and there. Upon arrival to our destination we would all scramble and do our specific chores to help set up camp. We were raised into high-end camping. A ten by ten canvas tent that had a rear sleeve that would attach around the rear of the station wagon. The six kids would sleep in sleeping bags in the tent while Mom and Dad would set up in the back of the station wagon that was open directly into the back of the tent. We thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Everybody wanted to sleep in the wagon.
Once the camp was set up it was time to take care of the cooking. I didn't understand it back then but my parents would cook some food on the grill and more on their portable propane camp stove. I have learned after some time that they were just trying to prepare the food as quickly as they could to keep everybody happy. One particular trip we were sitting around the campfire after we had our bellies filled, Dad was telling scary camping stories trying to get us scared enough to go hide out in our bags in the tent. All the kids fought it as long as they could before retiring for the night. Hours later I was enjoying a comfortable night of rest when I was suddenly wakened by the loud grunting and growling and the sounds of things being thrown around. I sprung out of the bag and started opening the zipper of the canvas flaps to sneak a peek at whatever was making all the noise. I was a kid of action sometimes without a well thought out plan.
What I saw and heard was this big black bear swatting our cooler around and getting more frustrated by the fact that it didn't pop open and this is all happening just 20-30 feet away from my surprised eyes. I looked around to see a few of my siblings watching too and the others were hiding as deep as they could go in their sleeping bags. When I looked back out at the bear it had stopped messing with the cooler and had found the camp stove. It probably could smell the splattered grease from our fried cooking. It seemed to look at it like it was trying to figure out what to do with it. The bear licked it a few times then it suddenly reared back and swatted it about twenty feet. All of the sudden a voice screams out "Hey!" and I just
about jumped right out of the tent. It had the same effect on the bear because it couldn't get out of there fast enough and tripped over the cooler on the way out of our campsite. Dad had scared the bear away and saved the day. I looked at my dad just as he says "That black bear sure didn't like our camp stove!"
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