Didn't see in the article that the investigators controlled for the
frequency of various categories of vehicles in the park.  Could it be
that the most commonly used vehicles for car camping there are
mini-vans?  So far as I know, Yosemite bears are the only ones that have
learned to raid cars for food, but in areas where the concentrations of
food laden vehicles and bears are comparable, the behavior is apt to
emerge.  I've thought of it when I camped in bear country, but I have
still cooked in the camper.  Asked rangers about it, and have been
reassured that, "Our bears have never raided vehicles, but we can't
guarantee that they won't."  Are larger vehicles like motor homes more
secure than our campers?  They certainly are cooked in at rv parks in
bear country including Yosemite.

Dave Mc

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 11:37 PM, B wrote:

> On Oct 19, 2009, at 8:36 PM, Don Hanson wrote:
>
>>  I'd still like to find some cheap-o ready-made solution to those
>> diabolical "Spillmeister" burner grill thingies..What a dumb set of
>> stove
>> top grills..Just exactly wrong for many coffee pots and small pans..
>
>
> Yeah.
>
> We actually avoid cooking inside our 'Esme'  because it lets us avoid
> cleaning the stove and lessens the possibility that a Bear Will Find
> Our Van Tasty!
> http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/mmmm_minivan_the_favorite_vehi.html
>
> But someone did produce a solution to the problem that the burner
> grate is stupidly widely spaced.  It was a metal thingie in a VW
> styled design  that you would attach to the Stupidly Wide Spaced
> Burner Grate to fill in that stupidly large space.
>
> Alas, it was a limited edition.  The creator was at one time on this
> list, and may still be.
>
> Could we have a new edition of this elegant solution?   Please?
>
>
> B&S
> 87 Westy 'Esmerelda Blanc'
> SoCal