San Rafael Valley, AZ ~~ Photo by Bill Haas

Monday, July 5, 2010

GAWDAWFUL ~~~~ Rant Alert!

It's a multi-story emporium that glorifies killing defenseless creatures for sport -- and for being dressed to kill while doing it. Folks had told me "it's like a museum." Not so. It's more a shrine for taxidermists than a stop to glean scientific/cultural knowledge. It's a garish retail megastore promoting crass consumption of useless, made-in-China crap, or must-have-but-can't-afford-it-put-it-on-the-credit-card-anyway stupidity.
The only "real" animals were the fish in this aquarium -- fun to watch. They moved!
Adventures in dining -- who knows what you might be served!
Just what every camper can't do without!
Yes, it even has a "practice range" for the kiddies. Start 'em early, I guess.
And an indoor archery range.
And what would any major gun store do without one of these?
There wouldn't be a place like this if it didn't target a feasible demographic. It is not my desire to offend that demographic; but, excuse me, this obscene, over-the-top 185,000 s.f. retail extravagance certainly offended my own "delicate" sensibilities!!
Can you tell I prefer to patronize REI?!!!

In all fairness, however, it did sell LOTS of other outdoorsy stuff -- anything you could possibly wish for, for every possible outdoor endeavor. I stocked up on Spice Drops!!