M I S H A P S

tj|tl|in|ca|st

M I S H A P S
tj|tl|in|ca|st

While sitting in the van at Avalanche Creek Campground (having spent the previous night there) in Glacier National Park, Montana, I notice a park ranger has just pulled into the parking lot and is now parked alongside the van. Uh oh. Well, he just sits there in his patrol car. After a while I start to think he has no interest in me. What a relief. Then I hear a car door slam then see a shadowy figure slowly walking around the van to my double-doors. Uh oh. 3 swift knocks follow and to my displeasure I realize the ranger has come to pay me a little visit. And probably not the neighborly kind.

I open the doors and he greets me, right off the bat he questions me, asking me how long I've been parked here and if I slept in the van. After admitting I slept in the van the night before he tells me that what I did was legal... er illegal. His little word-stumble makes me wonder, is he a little nervous? Think about it, he's alone and has no way of knowing what will happen when the van doors open, I suppose I can understand his apprehension.

He requestes my driver's license (its picture doesn't look anything like me now, it's almost 8 years old and then I had both hair and a mustache) and walks back to his car. While waiting for the verdict, I start thinking about what I was told yesterday at the Ranger Station about car camping and apparently I misunderstood where I was supposed to park. Will I get a ticket for my illegal activity and if so, will I pay it? I mean, it was a simple misunderstanding and hey, I don't live in Montana and rarely visit, so what can they do if I don't pay?

Eventually, the ranger returns. Much to my delight, he tells me he's going to let me off with a warning. I'm not supposed to van-camp in the parking lot. Apparently, I'm supposed to pay $15 for a campsite to sleep in my van. This seems kinda stupid to me, but, rules are rules. I think the ranger was happy to learn I'll be leaving the park today. Just one less problem to deal with.

Had I gotten a ticket, the right thing to do would be to pay it, even if they can't come after me. The money paid will go back into the park system, so it's a donation of sorts, certainly to a worthy cause.