Urban Camping

Over at Dax's place, he reminded me of a story.

One of the things a cop does is look for things that are out of place. Something that isn't where it is supposed to be is suspicious. Something else in a place where there is usually nothing is suspicious.

While I was in Natchitoches LA, I drove past a particular location every day. A stretch of heavily wooded riverbank on the Cane River. Right in town, it was a knarly,overgrown riverbank with weeds and vines and trees that covered maybe fifty feet to the river. It belonged to someone, but damned if I knew whom.

Early one spring morning I noticed a car parked on that stretch of road, next to the riverbank, and I made a mental note of it. Probably just someone fishing. Next day, the same car was there. Next day, same car. I decided to check it out.

There was a college student camped down there. He had one semester left before graduation, and had run out of rent money. He had enough to feed himself, put a little gas in the car, live like a hermit, but he was trying to finish college. He had a tent, and a camp stove, and had carved a little niche in the urban woodlands. He told me he left about an hour before classes every day and showered in the gymnasium. Then he went to work, then came back to his little campsite. Laundry at the laundromat. Winter was about over and he had scored some firewood from somewhere.

He asked if I was going to run him off. I told him that as long as the owners didn't care, I didn't either. I didn't have a complaint, so no problem. I was just being nosy. I saw his car regularly there during remainder of the semester, and after graduation he was gone.

I hope he got a good job. He wanted that education.