Friday, September 10, 2010

Cabela's

I'm sorry for the silence this week!  On Sunday evening we had some dear friends from Oregon arrive for a visit and my time was consumed with them.  The purpose of their visit was to enroll their middle daughter, GG, in a Catholic boarding school in the region.  GG is a close friend of our Older Daughter, and I for one am thrilled she will be nearby for the next three years.  We insist that she consider us her second family during times she can't go home on holidays or school breaks.

So on Tuesday we went into the city to take GG (who was nervous!) to school.  We were early, so with some time to kick around, we decided to visit Cabela's, which had opened a few years ago and which I had never seen.



Cabela's, for those poor ignorant saps residing outside the hunting world, is a sportsman's outfitter.  This particular store is massive and was built on a bluff overlooking the highway (so you can't miss it!).  I took the camera inside and felt like a gawky hick tourist as I took shots of all the stuff there was to see.

Because Cabela's, you see, isn't just a store with walls of fishing rods or barrels of camouflage duct tape.  Oh no!  It's an "experience."



The first thing you notice are the stuffed animals, of which there are hundreds.  The store has an interior balcony below the ceiling which spans the entire inside of the building.  There is mounted wildlife crammed everywhere on the balcony.



Flocks of Canadian geese fly around the vast inner spaces.


Dominating the center of the store is a mountain divided into biomes, each resplendent with the wildlife of that region.


It even has a moose standing in a pool of real water provided by a waterfall.


Polar bear...


Grizzly bear...


A spectacular feature, and one the neighbors kept talking about, was an aquarium.  It was a massive tank featuring fish native to this area.


I don't know my fish, so I can't tell you the species.


This guy looked decidedly tweaked, like his back had been broken or something.


At any rate, passing a half hour inside Cabela's was an excellent way to pass a surplus hour until it was time for GG to check in to the school.

13 comments:

  1. I love Cabela's! I could move right in and LIVE at Cabela's! The store in Reno (actually Boomtown) Nevada even has a restaurant!!!

    To be fair, I've never visited a Bass Pro Shop store. I've been told they are equally spectacular outdoor stores.

    Long live outdoor stores with their tents and guns and fishing rods, etc. When I walk into an outdoor store (an oxymoron if ever there was one. LOL) I feel I have stepped back into the America I know and love. I look at the other shoppers and think to myself, 'these are my people.'

    Long live Cabela's and other outdoor stores. They are havens for the politically incorrect, IMHO.

    Anonymous Patriot
    USA

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  2. PS - Did you buy any of that camo duct tape? (I would have bought a bunch, how cool!) And I think that first fish may be a spotted bass.

    Anonymous Patriot
    USA

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  3. The first time I went into Cabela's I was equally awe-struck! I wish I had taken the camera. My SIL says that he likes the Bass Pro a little more but I have never been there.

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  4. I work at a Bass Pro shop so I am a little bias but from the pics I can say Bass Pro is better. It is great that you had the experience.

    Steve from NC

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  5. Actually, this comment(questions) are for Anonymous Patriot. Do you live near Reno??? I grew up there, but got "sentenced" to southern California because of DH's work. You mentioned Boomtown. Did the casino close? Or did they just add Cabela's. I haven't been back for a visit for quite some time, you hit my curious bone. I met my DH at Boomtown, my best friend's mom worked there when he did. She introduced us. Thanks for the happy memory:)

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  6. Linda, Cabela's Reno (Boomtown) is a separate building approx 1/4 mile from the Boomtown Casino complex. There is a free shuttle that runs between the two, but the walk is easy and fun on a good day. I don't live anywhere near Reno, but I go there occasionally for a little R&R. (I live on the northcoast of CA.)

    You might be surprised at how huge Reno has gotten, I know I was when I visited it after several years of absence. I'm not sure it's the "biggest little city in the world" anymore, it could be "just another big city in the world" as far as I'm concerned. LOL

    Sorry you are "sentenced" to live in SoCal. I would rather live in a cave and eat worms than live there.

    A.P.
    USA

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  7. Thanks AP, Your last sentence says it all:) I am really beginning to hate living here. You are right about how big Reno is now. The last time I was in Reno was about 6 years ago, it was so much bigger than when we left 19 years ago. Northern California is so much nicer than down here. Even though I'm not down in the LA area, it is still close enough to be a pain (I live in the high desert). I think where our blog host Patrice lives would be even better. I've lived in small towns with lots of space as a kid, I sure miss it. Have a nice weekend:)

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  8. AP,
    Having been to both Cabela's the one in Kansas City Makes the one in Reno look like a walMart. When my wife and I went to the Rebo Cabela's I was all excited but I shouldn't have built it up so much, the disappointment was massive. I need to make the run down to Stockton to go to Bass Pro since I couldn't go last time I was in Springfield MO. compare time.
    BTW Bass Pro is the most popular tourist sport in Missouri

    Ottar

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  9. So, Ottar, what you're saying is size matters? LOL

    A.P.
    USA

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  10. I am sure you all know that Cabelas was started in Sidney NE in a little hardware store. In the hostile business climate we are living in today there will be no simalar success stories in your near future. God Bless Those Demoscrounging scuum bags. The sorry trash that they are may well awaken sleeping productive America.

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  11. We lived on the Oregon/Idaho border for awhile and our favorite way to pass time, (other than hunting) was a trip to Cabela's in Boise. We love hanging out there, looking at the mounts, listening to the history of the guy who invented the pistol, the candy shop in the back, the furniture, etc. In August, we visited Reno, and Scheels because we heard it was so superior to Cabela's. It was a yuppie version and not interesting to us or the kids. Except for the indoor Ferris Wheel. We would love to live near Boise again. We lived about 45 miles away. It was the perfect area for our lives.

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  12. My main issue with Cabela's is that it is one of two stores that really bring out the consumer side of me (the other is ACE Hardware). ;)

    I visited a Bass Pro Shop when I lived in NC. Now I visit the Cabela's in Lacey, Washington every couple months on average. I picked up a few quality items at Bass Pro that I still use today. Cabela's often feels like an outfitter for folks with the cash for five-figure hunting vacations. I rarely am able to find exactly what I am looking for in my size (I'm an average size) in the store, so I find it useful to order online, pick-up at the store, and try things on that I may shop for in the future while I'm there. For camping, hiking, and backpacking I often find REI is usually a step ahead in quality and value.

    That said, Cabela's stores are like a small amusement park for those who hunt and fish. If you can't find it at your local store (or don't have a store nearby), chances are pretty good that you can get it from a Cabela's catalog or online delivered right to your door.

    I try to support the local guys when I can, but Cabela's is a weakness.

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  13. Pretty sure that the last fish is a 'pink salmon'. Weird looking fish!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_salmon

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