To Shoot or Not To Shoot…

I was all set today to go head out to the desert and deal with the (currently) 101° heat and 16% humidity to go shooting.  The National Weather Service says the heat index is 97° but I think they’re full of something smelly.  You never know what the weather will be like when and if things go downhill, so why not train for it?

19 July 2009 @ 1411 hours

This is why I’m not going out today.  Yes, I can deal with rain – I really like it.  I don’t mind if the 10/22 gets dusty or wet – that’s what I bought it for.  I’d just take good care of it when I got home.

The problem with this weather is that it’s flat out dangerous where I have to go if I want to go shooting in the desert.

You have to be at least 1,000 feet from any road which means that you’re going to be on the dirt.  My HHR is not an off road vehicle, despite what you might have seen in pictures I’ve posted.  If the rain hits hard, there could will be mud.  I do not want to get stuck somewhere that would require a very expensive tow truck to pull me out.

But it’s not just mud I’m worried about.  I don’t want to become a human lightning rod.  I especially don’t want to become a human lightning rod when I’m alone and in the middle of freaking nowhere.

But the fun doesn’t stop with lightning.  There’s also the very real danger of flash flooding.  I’ve seen it and experienced it.

I’m thinking I might just head back over to Bass Pro Shops today.  I went there last night to put a few rounds through the new 10/22 and only brought about 50 rounds or so.  I figured I’d buy a bit more, but they were completely out.  The guy told me he wouldn’t have charged me for the range time if he’d have known that’s all I had and to find him and he’d make sure I shot for free the next time I showed up.

By the way, the 10/22 is SWEET!!!

So no, no shooting in the desert today.