Man Stands In Road As Bison Stampede Towards Him

Above, a pair of Yellowstone bison relaxing on a hill. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's a lot of stupid people in this world.

Here's a touron (tourist moron) who stood in the middle of a Yellowstone National Park road as a herd of bison stampeding towards him. Definitely a leading candidate for a Darwin Award.

From Whiskey Riff:

And the award for “National Park Idiot of the Year” goes to…

There are some people that live on God’s green Earth that live their life like they’re invincible. The man in this video, who stands right in the middle of a road in Yellowstone National Park with a bison herd barreling right at him, is one of those people.

To read more and see the video, go here.

RV Travel: Why Are So Many Tourists Stupid?

In recent years, there have been (unfortunately) numerous stories of stupid behavior of tourists in national and state parks.

There are people who think nothing of putting themselves in danger just to get a selfie with a bear, elk or bison.

RV Travel asks why are so many tourists stupid in a new article.

They begin it with:

OPINION

There’s an undeniably smug pleasure many of us take in observing others’ failings or stupid behavior, and indeed, it’s hard not to feel superior when reading about the latest winners of the Darwin Awards. Or when gaping at the pictures posted on the People of Walmart site. Who goes out in public like that? How do some people come up with such incredibly dumb ideas?

And aren’t we special/smart/superior not to be like that?

And yet … and yet, perhaps the line between smart and stupid is a lot fuzzier than we think. Consider, for example, the gleeful fascination that self-styled outdoorsy types have with “tourons,” that mashup of tourist and moron used to describe people who think it’s a good idea to take selfies with a bison or elk, or who try to pet bear cubs. These encounters, which frequently end badly for the touron, are grounded in a Disney-fied view of nature and its creatures as essentially benign and placed on this world for our enjoyment. For a touron, the thought that we might be perceived as a threat—or even as a food source—is inconceivable. And it’s that lack of awareness that causes so much self-satisfaction for observers who pat themselves on the back for knowing so much better.

 To read more, go here.

Shooting Area Idiots

This afternoon, I hopped into the Jeep to do some OHV driving.

I headed down Six Mile Canyon Road and decided to head over to the shooting area. There were two vehicles there: a white pick-up and a dark SUV. The white truck arrived before I got there and went down the pipeline road while the other left and passed me on the north-south road.

When I arrived at the shooting area, this is what I saw:

Above, one of our wooden spools (used as a table) was moved
 and was being used as a target stand. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I can't say that the people in the two vehicles did this. I immediately got on my cell phone and posted a request for help to move the spool back. Thankfully, my next-door neighbor Mike responded and got there in minutes. (I was able to move the spool most of the way, but I was getting winded.) We then moved it to where it was supposed to be.

Above, the "table" area with one spool missing and one collapsed. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's the spool back to where it belongs (the one on the right):

Above, the spool back to where it belongs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It looks like we'll need to patrol the shooting area so that outsiders don't do this again. Obviously, whomever did this flunked the Darwin Award test. As Mike pointed out, they could have used the spool that has broken apart. 

C'mon folks, I know what we have isn't the "lap of luxury", but it's what we have. Outsiders are welcome to shoot here, but please respect what's there. The spools are there for everyone to use as tables, not as target stands for morons!

I am going to post this on the Gun Owners of New Mexico Facebook page. Maybe the turkeys who did this will see it.

My thanks to neighbor Mike for his assist!

Man Who Walked Near Old Faithful In More Hot Water

Above, Old Faithful Geyser erupting. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This guy is a prime candidate for a Darwin Award.

This is the same guy who walked dangerously close to Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Some say he also urinated into the geyser.

The New York Post reported:

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A man accused of walking dangerously close to the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park faces additional charges after a police chase in Wyoming’s capital city. 

Police said Thursday that they arrested 27-year-old Gabriel Villalva of Greeley, Colorado, after he drove recklessly around Cheyenne, which is a seven-hour drive from Yellowstone. 

Police say they stopped Villalva with spike strips after a 15-minute chase Wednesday. They say he spun his wheels and his SUV caught fire. 

Police say they fired beanbag rounds to subdue him.

In case you're wondering, a Darwin Award is:

The Darwin Award is a fictional award which is given out to people who commit acts of utter stupidity that often involve their own injury or even death. The name is derived from Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution (survival of the fittest), since the winners of the Darwin award aren't expected to survive long enough or remain capable of propagating their own hereditary stupidity.

To read more, go here.