Do you know what the purple paint law is?

[Sigarms]

I canoed that stretch way back around 1978; I was 19 and didn't know any better. Man, they could've filmed Deliverance in that gorge...

One year I lived in Pa, I litterally spent every weekend either in West Virginia or anywhere between Watertown and Lake Placid NY, pretty much rotating the states each weekend paddling. I'll never forget one night going into a town for dinner instead of a campfire cookout, I litterally forgot which state I was in until I heard someone speak and I heard the dialect. Point being, no matter where you are in the "mountainous" US, there will always be scary looking places that pretty much look EXACTLY alike along a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.

The few times I ever got lost on a dirt road, honestly can't say I met a bad person who scared me (I'll admit, there have been some interesting looking places, that could be anywhere though LOL). Treat people with respect first, and generally you get the same in return.

Now that said, I didn't see Deliverance until about 40 years after it came out

End of the day, if you're caught tresspassing unbeknownst on your end, apologize profusely and sincerely, and leave. You were in the wrong.

Now, don't get me wrong, you still have to understand that there are the Jeffery Dahmers and Robert Pictons of the world, and you can come across them anywhere, in the woods or in the city

 

[jjp8182]

Now, don't get me wrong, you still have to understand that there are the Jeffery Dahmers and Robert Pictons of the world, and you can come across them anywhere, in the woods or in the city

If only urban areas were marked with purple paint and no trespassing signs; keeping track of different gang symbols/colors could probably be a full-time job (assuming it's not already).

Makes it rather hard to understand how anyone could view rural areas as scary as I've yet see a major metro area that didn't have "bad/dangerous areas" (though identifying them may require talking to locals) -- though in others abandoned buildings, broken/boarded up windows can serve as almost as good of an indicator as purple paint & signs......

 

[Sigarms]

If only urban areas were marked with purple paint and no trespassing signs;

I could be just as scared as riding the metro in DC as being in the woods in WV (when I was younger and worked in DC, sometimes I would be the only white guy on the subway).

Never forget when we took our boys to DC and we took the metro into DC (wanted to teach them about public transportation, added we were staying around the national habor area LOL). A woman came up to my son (boy was standing about 50' down from us) and talked to him.

I asked my boy what the woman told him, and he told she was explaining what the signs and colors meant, and asked him if she could help him by chance if he was lost.

End of the day, people are people. Evil and good lurks in all mens (and womans) hearts, be it they live in the city or the country IMO

No matter where you live, it all comes down to respecting others and ensuring you take care of yourself.

 

[jjp8182]

I could be just as scared as riding the metro in DC as being in the woods in WV (when I was younger and worked in DC, sometimes I would be the only white guy on the subway).

Never forget when we took our boys to DC and we took the metro into DC (wanted to teach them about public transportation, added we were staying around the national habor area LOL). A woman came up to my son (boy was standing about 50' down from us) and talked to him.

I asked my boy what the woman told him, and he told she was explaining what the signs and colors meant, and asked him if she could help him by chance if he was lost.

End of the day, people are people. Evil and good lurks in all mens (and womans) hearts, be it they live in the city or the country IMO

No matter where you live, it all comes down to respecting others and ensuring you take care of yourself.

yep ...even in some of the worst areas there can be some good people who will let you know you're in a bad area and you just need to get out for your own safety.

Though personally when I see a uniformed law enforcement officer (probably off-duty?) standing behind ~2" of bullet-resistant glass working the register of a gas station (as I did in parts of Little Rock, Arkansas in the late '90s) I'm inclined to come to that conclusion pretty quickly myself ...came to the same conclusion when I start seeing what looked like gang-related graffiti on an interstate (only place I've ever seen that was in Los Angeles, CA).

Of course the other interesting thing is how many cities will have a very strong police presence in touristy area, but if you cross the "wrong" street (literally) the law enforcement presence essentially evaporates and it may be a bad idea to be traveling alone. Have seen that around the inner harbor area of Baltimore, MD, and the riverwalk area in San Antonio, TX myself ...and (from what I've heard) that phenomenon increasingly applies in downtown Nashville, TN.

Nope, I much prefer rural areas & total wilderness the dangers and "no entry" areas tend to be a bit more obvious and less fickle/changing ... but then again I also grew up chasing rabbits & squirrels and digging in the dirt of central MN in a fairly rural setting. So

 

[Sigarms]

yep ...even in some of the worst areas there can be some good people who will let you know you're in a bad area and you just need to get out for your own safety.

Though personally when I see a uniformed law enforcement officer (probably off-duty?) standing behind ~2" of bullet-resistant glass working the register of a gas station (as I did in parts of Little Rock, Arkansas in the late '90s) I'm inclined to come to that conclusion pretty quickly myself

I have to laugh... the only time traveling that I've EVER really been scared in my life was driving the wrong bridge over Philly into Camden NJ at around 0100. At the time, same car I drove to BFE in WV and NY.

 

[Jstpssng]

even in some of the worst areas there can be some good people who will let you know you're in a bad area and you just need to get out for your own safety

I was talking to a librarian years ago who told of getting off a bus at the wrong station. She was young, foolish, lost, scared, broke, and getting attention from the wrong people. Finally some older black gentleman walked up, handed her a ticket to a bus which was getting ready to pull out and said "I don't know where it's going but you need to get out of here."

 

[jjp8182]

I have to laugh... the only time traveling that I've EVER really been scared in my life was driving the wrong bridge over Philly into Camden NJ at around 0100. At the time, same car I drove to BFE in WV and NY.

Yeah that part of Little Rock I mentioned earlier was where we were visiting family (mother's elderly aunt) and my mother decided she wanted to go look at some of the scenic older homes in the neighborhood (despite being warned by her aunt) -- long story short we ended up having to run when a street gang of about a dozen young men started hollering at us and challenging our walking there (on a public street).....

For the most part there's not many places I find scary (at least not when I'm alone) as I generally have something of an angry grizzly bear demeanor (and almost as much size) about me which tends to make most people think long and hard before doing anything overly stupid. Been more that a few times I've heard/learned that "scary people" were actually scared of me

All the same though I generally try to stay out of trouble areas if I can (why go looking for trouble?) ...and more so when I'm with others.

 

[jjp8182]

I was talking to a librarian years ago who told of getting off a bus at the wrong station. She was young, foolish, lost, scared, broke, and getting attention from the wrong people. Finally some older black gentleman walked up, handed her a ticket to a bus which was getting ready to pull out and said "I don't know where it's going but you need to get out of here."

I've heard quite a few stories like that from (both male and female) coworkers (in various large cities), and as well as from my wife about her sister who was going into a neighborhood she probably shouldn't have between international flights she was assigned to work.

Sometimes race makes a difference, sometimes it doesn't ...and some times it can be a difference in culture between people of the same race.

Has taught me people are people and each needs to be seen as an individual no matter what race/country/culture they may come from.....

 

[MoKelly]

I have to laugh... the only time traveling that I've EVER really been scared in my life was driving the wrong bridge over Philly into Camden NJ at around 0100. At the time, same car I drove to BFE in WV and NY.

Brings back memories from late 1970s when I was young, traveling a lot and stupid.

We were going to NY for work. Three 20 something kids out of school and doing an audit.

To save time, we flew into Newark - arriving about 10pm in November. Got rental car and headed out. Got lost. No GPS back in the day. Paper maps from rental counter.

Was driving around the most burned out, abandoned car littered, graffiti plagued, bars on doors and windows and boarded up place I’d ever seen. That means something coming from STL.

Luckily it was cold and we saw nobody. No cars, no police presence no signs of any life. No businesses were open if you could even tell it was a business. Finally, found the interstate ramp.

Never forget that experience.

MoKelly

 

[Hay Dude]

I have to laugh... the only time traveling that I've EVER really been scared in my life was driving the wrong bridge over Philly into Camden NJ at around 0100. At the time, same car I drove to BFE in WV and NY.

I get to live that dream about once every 2-3 weeks.