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Our 12 acres was on the perimeter of 1000 acres of State forest land. People weren’t supposed to be back there, but they’d been going back there on old logging roads for generations — just goofing off and target shooting. Despite our deed that said that there was supposed to be a gate blocking the road (which started on our property) the DNR had never erected one until we complained.

There was some guy who kept a trailer back there (on private, not state, property) in a place that was inaccessible by public road. He (and his hangers on, stepchidren, etc. — a rough bunch) liked to cut through our property and use the logging road to reach his trailer because he didn’t want to pay to build his own road. He wasn’t there most of the week, but he kept vicious dogs chained back there to protect his trailer. I don’t know what he was doing, but I always suspected a marijuana grow operation. It was one of his cars that was disabled on the logging road. They got as far as the gate when they kinked out.

One night at about 1 in the morning, we heard rifle shots. We called the sheriff and the deputy on duty showed up about an hour later. He just looked at us and said, “I’m not going back there to investigate.” We agreed that it was probably not a good idea, and we knew then that we would have no protection. My husband brought me a cricket bat to keep under the bed in case of emergency!

Funny thing happened. We never put a sign on our house when it was for sale. We kept our upcoming move a secret from the few neighbors that we had. Our last weekend in the house, we needed to go to the hardware store for some last minute purchase, and we ran into the guy with the trailer. We told him we were moving the following week, and he answered in shock, “Oh, no! Who’s going to protect me, if you are gone!?” SOB.

Ha! My beautiful 4000 sq. ft. house was purchased by the County eventually and became the fanciest ranger station in the whole country. They maintain their own gate now and patrol the place. We are all better off.