More real and more frightening than the bears, mountain lions and the wolverines were the miners. Far in the back of the campground was the tent area and beyond that the sites where the miners lived. Idaho is still a large mining state, filled with silver and gold mines as well as copper and other precious metals.
Long before the days of cell phones, I would make weekly collect calls to my (ex) husband who was still in Florida late in the evening before the KOA office closed. If Chuck needed to get a message to me, Frank or one of the owners would knock on my door to let me know that Chuck was on the line and I would run to the office. One evening a bit after 11:00 p.m. as the girls were tucked in their bunks, I heard a loud knock on the Airstream door. Angel was asleep nearby but being accustomed to the noise of other campers coming and going, she didn't bark that often. I swung the door open sure that it was an emergency call from Chuck but to my surprise a stranger started into the trailer. One of the miners, drunk as they often were by Friday night, came barging in towards me. I was too scared and confused to scream. Angel, the attack trained doberman who had protected the Florida dive shop for years, sprung into action. Luckily for the miner, Angel was taught to snap against the skin and not bite until commanded. As she snapped at the miner's throat, he was the one who screamed! Angel left quite a few scratches before chasing him out the door. He ran like hell back to the miner's camping area and we never knew which of the men it was. Needless to day, none of them ever came knocking again.
No comments:
Post a Comment