Why is Dan Peterson Vacationing During a Pandemic?

[_Doctor Scratch]

I admit it: times are hard. I sure do wish that I could take a summer vacation. Heck: I cannot even go to my Cassius U. office these days without jumping through a million bureaucratic hoops. The pandemic is hard in other ways, too. I wish I could see members of my family. I'm sure that many others are feeling the pain from the sacrifices that all of us are being asked to make.

Oddly enough, this may be a great time to be a Mopologist, since it means that you get to ignore CDC recommendations in order to have a good time! I'm sure that you're not alone in having noticed, on "SeN", that Dr. Peterson has been "tripping the light fantastic" through some of the most scenic areas of the Rocky Mountains: Estes Park, Breckenridge, and most recently, Steamboat Springs. I'm sure that Dr. Peterson is telling himself that he's doing his readers an important service: they are probably as sick of the coronavirus lockdown as anybody else, and hey! Look! Here's somebody providing a travelogue! It's like he's a Mopologetic Andrew Zimmern! He has even cooked up an Edward Abbey-esque fantasy about the local wildlife:

Oddly, we never did see any bighorn sheep during our visits. And we saw no bears. (I never seriously anticipated that we would.). On the other hand, today was a fairly good day for other wildlife. We saw a few isolated deer, scores of elk, and two moose, all pretty close at hand. We saw one group of four quite large bull elk — six-pointers, so far as we and others there could tell — at a bit of a distance just above the continental divide at Milner Pass. As an unexpected bonus, I also caught a glimpse of a red fox very near to where we’ve been staying here in Breckenridge. It’s been good to be (way) out of the house.

I bet they were so close that you could almost touch them! Two moose? Wow! And parting is such sweet sorrow:

To conclude on a brighter note, though: As I was readying our car for leaving Breckenridge this morning, I commented to my wife that it would be nice to see my red fox once again. She had missed seeing him, but we were now looking toward the area where I had spotted him the day before. Not sixty seconds later, he loped right past the car, maybe only two or three feet from us, with some sort of prey in his mouth. We watched him until he was out of sight.

ROFL! Yeah, sure you did. "My red fox"? How romantic! (And of course there would be "some sort of prey in his mouth.")

Of course, this is all BS. No way did a fox "lope...right past the car...only two or three feet from us." That only happens in fantasy. Has this guy ever been around wild animals before? This just isn't how they behave...at least, not outside of a Disney movie.

So, you really have two possibilities here: DCP is sitting at home (as he ought to be) and conjuring up these fictions for his "SeN" readers. Or, he really is out there on the road, defying CDC recommendations. Speaking of those recommendations,they are quite clear:

This page is about travel that is different from your everyday activities, away from your local community. For advice on how to safely meet basic household needs within your local community, see CDC’s webpage about running essential errands.

COVID-19 cases and deaths have been reported in all 50 states, and the situation is constantly changing. Because travel increases your chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19, staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick.

(emphasis in the original)

And it goes on:

Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. We don’t know if one type of travel is safer than others; however, airports, bus stations, train stations, and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces. These are also places where it can be hard to social distance (keep 6 feet apart from other people).

Interestingly, the CDC offers this advice about traveling to see family or friends (which I think is what most people would choose do, if given the opportunity and assurance from health officials):

Is it safe to travel to visit family or friends?

Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Before you travel, learn if coronavirus is spreading in your local area or in any of the places you are going. Traveling to visit family may be especially dangerous if you or your loved ones are more likely to get very ill from COVID-19. People at higher risk for severe illness need to take extra precautions.

Ah, okay. Well, good thing that DCP's vacation was purely self-serving, and won't endanger any of his family members!

Seriously: how does one spin this as being anything other than selfishness? Other than what I suggested above--i.e., he thinks he's doing his readers a service by "valiantly" traveling out into the wilds (and how!) of Colorado and showing everyone that bravery and excitement and beauty still exist amidst the pandemic!--the only other explanations are that he is (a) trying his hand at fiction-writing, or (b) he really is selfishly going on vacation despite the advice of experts.

Quite stunning, when you think about it. Or not.

[_Jersey Girl]

I hate to spoil your fun but as someone who has lived around all of those animals for 30 years, there's nothing in his account that surprises me. Now, to be honest, the big horns are located about 20 minutes from me so I don't have them come on my property. I do live with all of the others he listed. Moose and Elk don't give a damn about people. Best to steer clear of them. They'll walk through a town, walk into stores with open doors, cross a busy highway, they'll wander into your yard and eat from your bird feeders. Mule deer pretty much the same (bird feeders included) though they can be skittish around cars, but they too, will take over the road when crossing. We have a virtual deer nursery on our property right now.

Red foxes are stupid. I have sat on my back porch and have had more than one fox walk right by me within say 4 feet or so--not realizing I was even there. Unless they were moving around or talking outside the car, a fox could have easily walked by with prey in it's mouth not noticing them. I'm surprised he hasn't seen any black bears since they are out and about this time of year. They come through our "yard" fairly regularly. We have to take the hummingbird feeders in so they don't get a whiff of the nectar. They know how to open unlocked car and house doors that aren't locked.

I am, however, shocked that he is crossing state lines in a pandemic. In spite of the need for income from tourism, he really has no business contributing to the possible spread of the virus in areas that largely have it under control. An influx of out-of-staters can be responsible for new outbreaks that overwhelm the medical care facilities in towns like that. If he likes Colorado so much, he should stay the hell out of here and stay home instead of exercising his perceived privilege that, much like the moose and elk, doesn't give a damn about anyone else but himself. This really doesn't sit well with me.

Shame on you, DCP. Shame on you.

[_Jersey Girl]

delete

[_moksha]

If Dr. Peterson was not driving through Colorado due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, he would be laying on the beach at Bora Bora with a coconut parasol drink, typing a couple of articles for Sic et Non and perhaps adding some last-minute finishing touches to the world premiere of his new movie "Witnesses" which would be opening on select screens from Rexburg Idaho to Farmington New Mexico.

[Guest]

Dr. Scratch,

Thank you. This was a psychologically fascinating glimpse into the mind of a delusional narcissist.

My fox? Selfishly putting others at risk? Good grief! I almost expected DCP to recount how he single handedly tamed a wild black stallion and forged an everlasting bond of friendship with the animal.

My money is that DCP never left his home. He lied about the entire “trip.” It’s obviously difficult and painful for DCP to live in reality and that’s one of reasons Mormonism appeals to him (that and also the money he makes). Obsessing over NDE’s, imaginary civilizations, seer-stones, dowsing and the evils of science are not hallmarks of a mentally healthy individual.

DCP harbors an immense amount of hatred, delusion, self-loathing and anger. I personally think that’s why he constantly lies, plagiarizes, belittles other faiths and attacks people.

I think DCP’s imaginary trip is just another desperate cry for help and for attention.

[_Kishkumen]

One thing's certain: showing you don't take the CDC guidelines too seriously is a wonderful way to signal to your fellow conservatives that you really aren't one of those hysterical "libs." DCP has walked a fine line between being a Never Trumper and a good conservative. His lack of fealty to Trump is a problem for a lot of his Trumplican readers. Blogging about his CDC-flouting journeys will reassure his people that he has not lost his mind. It also serves to set off his "librul" critics and stalkers.

Personally, I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed. Honestly, he should not be traveling. I would not want him or his spouse to get COVID, and I don't want them to be vectors for the virus. But, if he is going to do it, he might at least keep his travels to himself and not stand as an example of someone taking unnecessary risks with his own life and the lives of others.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

It's a car tour. Y'all fussy.

- Doc

[_Shulem]

It's a car tour. Y'all fussy.

- Doc

That's kind of what I thought.

BUT, if that poor fox dies of Cornona then it's FAT Dan's fault for breathing on it.

[_Jersey Girl]

It's a car tour. Y'all fussy.

- Doc

Yes, it is. There's nothing they're doing that could be considered a violation (except for a couple of things left to interpretation) of Colorado's guidelines for re-opening. Hotels and lodges up in Estes, Breck, and Steamboat are (I believe) open at 50% capacity. Now, if you look at our re-opening guidelines you will see we're still in a "safer at home" stage and folks are encouraged to go into the "vast, great outdoors". What that means is that people like him, or me and JB for example, should be staying at home but yet, we are encouraged to go visit open spaces, trails, etc.

That doesn't mean we go tooling around staying in lodges. It means we stay home as much as possible and/or drive up into the mountains on a car tour or to a trailhead and go hiking, or horse riding if permissible, camping in places like Rocky Mountain National Park (which is part of where he went)--maintaining social distancing and masking when social distancing isn't possible.

And when I say "we" I mean folks who are deemed at higher risk for serious complications or death from the virus which is us and also the DCP traveling duo.

[_Jersey Girl]

Dr. Scratch,

Thank you. This was a psychologically fascinating glimpse into the mind of a delusional narcissist.

My fox? Selfishly putting others at risk? Good grief! I almost expected DCP to recount how he single handedly tamed a wild black stallion and forged an everlasting bond of friendship with the animal.

My money is that DCP never left his home. He lied about the entire “trip.” It’s obviously difficult and painful for DCP to live in reality and that’s one of reasons Mormonism appeals to him (that and also the money he makes). Obsessing over NDE’s, imaginary civilizations, seer-stones, dowsing and the evils of science are not hallmarks of a mentally healthy individual.

DCP harbors an immense amount of hatred, delusion, self-loathing and anger. I personally think that’s why he constantly lies, plagiarizes, belittles other faiths and attacks people.

I think DCP’s imaginary trip is just another desperate cry for help and for attention.

Everybody Wang Chung you know I like you, right? But you're off the mark with this. I do agree that he shouldn't be traveling in the middle of a pandemic because his age puts him at risk for complications and death from the virus.That and the fact that an influx of visitors (even when lodges are--and I think I have this right--booking at 50% capacity) poses a risk for additional outbreaks that no state needs right now.

That said, the state is open to a certain degree, there aren't any travel restrictions (the rules are more like guidelines ), and the thing he's actually violating is our "Safer at home in the Vast, Great Outdoors" re-opening policies which would have people in his age group staying primarily at home and traveling to the forests to camp, hike and muck around while maintaining social distancing.

As to the "my fox" remark. What is the big deal about that? We regularly have visitors (well not this year obviously) from out of state who are thrilled to see wildlife on our property and neighboring areas. I drive them around where I know they'll be able to see antelope or certain times of day when the deer are on the move. It's what they talk about when they go home. DCP refers to the red fox as his fox, because that's the one he spotted. The animal behaviors that DCP described are nothing out of the ordinary in areas where wildlife share habitat with humans. Like I said in my previous post, we have all of those animals he mentioned right on our property (except the Big Horns are elsewhere and there's a slew he didn't mention at all) and have lived with them for 30 years now. I mean on any give day around here it's "Get the cat inside there's a bear out back". :rolleyes: The wildlife here really have little to no fear of humans at all.

I mean, I live in a world where when you walk out the door you look both ways to makes sure there's no bear or mountain on the property. The deer can pound salt, they live right here with their babies.

All that said, I am sure he and his co-traveler enjoyed their time here, were happy to go somewhere to clear their heads, to get away, and to see wildlife which is probably uncommon where they live. I just do disagree that they should be traveling at this time but that's not my call to make. I make my own calls, stick with the guidelines and otherwise...stay safer at home.