Nothing screams "Welcome to America" like outdoor stores. This week, in celebration of our return to the States, we visited a couple of them, polar opposites on the grandiose scale.
The first one was Bass Pro Shops in Concord. It was our first pilgrimage to the holy land of outdoordom. Unfortunately it was the first weekend of the Fall Hunting Classic, their annual hunting sale. I'm not sure if it was the huge crowd or the dizzying amount of inventory but I was completely overwhelmed. Call it redneck culture shock. There was stuff and people everywhere. The highlight of our time there was seeing all the new products, the bass, bream and catfish stocked aquarium and bass boats & ATVs for the kids to climb on. After 30 minutes of this we'd had enough.
Yesterday's visit to the Gun Vault in High Point was a lesson is contrasts. Less of a carnival, more of a home town feel. They had a ton of gear considering the size of the store. Hunting supplies, archery equipment and of course, a lot of firearms, both new and used. The staff was very polite and helpful and even allowed my boys to fondle some firearms, something their father appreciated, their mother....not so much. I picked out a couple new things to add to my wishlist and will be taking a rifle up to be bore sighted and scope installed by their onsite gunsmith, Mark, next week.We are so spoiled to have places like this to go to. I can't wait to check out Gander Mountain in Greensboro and a couple new, local tackle shops.
