{"id":637,"date":"2025-10-31T04:19:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T04:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sstutor.com\/writings\/?p=637"},"modified":"2025-10-31T04:23:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T04:23:49","slug":"usa-2024-part-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sstutor.com\/writings\/usa-2024-part-22\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Part 22 – Clint Eastwood style"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As usual, it was Moorthy and me up early in the morning by 7 am. And in 30 minutes, we were ready to step out. As soon as we drove onto the main road, we noticed some rustling among the leaves.
\u201cIt\u2019s a moose,\u201d Moorthy exclaimed. 
The moose was munching on grass and walking towards the next set of cabins.
I dropped a message in our group for Rakesh and Raghav, informing them that there was a moose near their backyard – but it wasn\u2019t delivered because I didn\u2019t have any mobile network there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was quite a cloudy day – the mountain ranges were hidden behind the clouds for the most part, but in some places, you could see them; add to this some purple flowers and greenery on the sides of the highway, and it made for a pretty sight. The morning ride got better as we went further down the highway – there was this point where suddenly the sky was clear – so you had heavy clouds behind you while ahead of you were clear skies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We were hoping to find a cafe or restaurant, and we spotted a food truck called Moose\u2019s Brew on the side of the highway – perhaps it was part of the lodge that was behind it, but the board did say open. We went around it once to find the counter. Picked up coffee and some bread. We asked for the wifi password, but the lady wasn\u2019t willing to give it – was weird because nowadays every joint gives you access to their wifi, and that too we were buying things from them as well. Suddenly, she shrieked, \u201cOh, a spider. Yikes. It\u2019s coming here.\u201d And she shut the window of the counter.\u00a0
\u201cWhere\u2019s the spider?\u201d I asked Moorthy.
\u201cDon\u2019t know, man. Maybe above the car.\u201d
She opened the window slightly to pass the receipt while she was chatting with another staff member who was inside the food truck. Quite an awkward moment – all for wifi access!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As we turned the car to start our return journey to the lodge, I shouted, \u201cA moose!\u201d
This one was also eating grass and slowly ambling towards the trees. Had enough time to take a snap, but we didn\u2019t get too close to it – just stayed in the car at a safe distance. Not as terrifying as bears, but moose can also be dangerous. We refuelled on the way back, and by 9 am, we were back in the lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDid you guys see the moose?\u201d
\u201cNo. There\u2019s nothing here,\u201d they said, not believing us.
\u201cThere was – we even tried messaging you.\u201d
\u201cYou can show them the proof of the photo.\u201d But I didn\u2019t have time to take a snap of the first one, so there was no way to prove it.\u00a0
\u201cWe saw a second one as well. Have proof of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Folks took turns showering and getting ready before we checked out. And in the meantime, I looked up a few videos and articles on bear spray usage.
\u2018Don\u2019t fire it in the direction of the wind,\u2019 they would say. But I did wonder that when confronted by a bear, you probably wouldn\u2019t want to turn around and shoot at empty space, hoping the wind will carry the particles to the bear charging behind you! But anyway, for testing, it was a good piece of advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to be able to operate the spray with a single hand – which includes taking off the safety clip that\u2019s there on the can (prevents anyone from accidentally pressing the spray). It sort of looks like the Wild Wild West movies, where you\u2019d have Clint Eastwood draw the gun from the holster in a single-handed sweep and fire; you need to do something similar here! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Don\u2019t keep the spray inside your backpack\u2019 – can\u2019t be digging through your bag to find the can while a bear is nearing you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Don\u2019t spray it on clothing\u2019 – unlike insect repellents, bear sprays don\u2019t work the same way – the odour left behind by the spray may actually attract a bear to the place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cut open the pack and first tried to pull out the safety clip – I struggled to get it off using both my hands, and this was meant to be done single-handed! After a few times putting it on and off, I got the hang of it\u2014it gets a little easier as it gets smoother.\u00a0
\u201cTime to test this.\u201d
\u201cYou are going to shoot?\u201d asked Moorthy.
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few feet away from our cabin and our vehicle, in the middle of the woods, I did the single-handed flick to get the clip off. I confirmed the wind direction and depressed the trigger on top of the can. An orange stream of particles burst forth for a fair distance, with a fair amount of force, towards our vehicle. It was pretty cool.
Moorthy came out to take a video. \u201cDo it again,\u201d he said while standing on the wooden porch and getting his focus right.
I heard Raghav cough lightly a couple of times from inside the cabin.\u00a0
Moorthy said, \u201cStart.\u201d And I repeated the one-handed firing sequence like Eastwood.\u00a0
\u201cNot much smell?\u201d
\u201cNo – slight burning smell. But since we fired in open air, and the wind is going that way, it must\u2019ve spread out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n