All because of Yogi and Boo-Boo

Even though Lake Tahoe is encircled by civilization, bears occasionally wander in from the mountains looking for dinner. So there are bear boxes in the campground.

Bear boxes (which should really be called anti-bear boxes) are no big deal if you're an occasional camper. Everything that should go in the bear box is probably already gathered in a container or two. That's how you loaded it into your vehicle along with your gear. And you can just put your cooler and the refrigerated items it contains right into the box.

But it's such a bother (Pooh bear allusion) for us long-term/full-time campers. All our stuff is put away in cupboards and refrigerators. I had to gather everything up into trash bags and take it in the bear box.  (I understand stowing things that give off enticing aromas, but bears can smell through cans?) There was no way I was going to empty my fridge, though. I would take that risk.

There were no bear tracks in my campsite this morning, unless Yogi has started wearing shoes or riding a bicycle.

The up side of this exercise, though, is that I was able to discard some old canned foods. If I hadn't eaten that chili in all this time, I probably never would. And I was able to redistribute some items and make more room in the cupboard. It was like spring cleaning. Good for me.