A different world

I finally went into Bass Pro Shops yesterday to purchase a stadium/bleacher seat (the one with the back support, since I tend to get uncomfortable more quickly these days). We were headed to watch Pulp Fiction at Film On The Rocks at Red Rocks last night and I wanted to be prepared.

But nothing prepared me for these wild indoors.

First, hundreds of antlers were intertwined at the grand entrance, and a big, brown grizzly bear stared at me when I opened the door. (The door handle? Made from a giant antler.) There were tons of taxidermied bodies all over the place! Brown trout, lake trout, rainbow trout, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, white-tailed deer, a mountain lion, a blond grizzly bear (which was rather pretty) and elk.

Everywhere.

I'm by no means a card-carrying PETA member, but something about hunting just doesn't sit right with me. Before entering the ginormous store through a gate past customer service (which, by the way, has a rustic, log-cabin feel with big wooden rocking chairs, leather seats and a fireplace, if memory serves), there's a sign that reads "Please check all guns and bows at the door." And I saw two men check their rifles!

I quickly made my way to the camping section, pulled what I needed off the shelf and hurried my way to check out. Adjacent to the checkout lanes is the "general store", with saltwater taffy, fish fry batter, salsa and chili, spice rubs and anything else you need to cook your venison or freshly-caught fish. Yikes!

I'm not saying I'll never enter the store again, but at least next time I will be more prepared!