Flora and Fauna (Part 2)

JP with Redsword, Jaxx and Cindy

Dr. Jackal raised his hands to pause the conversation as he was processing all the information in his brilliant mind. He closed his eyes and recalled some very important information related to this trip. Lily looked at the good doctor with some concern as she asked, "Something wrong Dr. Jackal?" He nodded as he replied, "Yes and many people drop their guard before falling victim to this creature." Lily asked, "The European Adder or the bears?" Dr. Jackal shook his head no as he replied, "Sadly no. Our biggest concern is actually the moose. According to the Scientific Almanac World Animal edition, moose kill approximately 440 people, injure about 59,000 people, and cause more than a large amount of economic losses annually. Collisions with moose are especially dangerous due to their large size and height. An international team of scientists investigated patterns of moose migration and found that collisions were 2.4-5.7 times more frequent during winter (December-February) than early summer. Risk was greatest when and where snow depth was less than 47 inches. The analysis suggests that moose migrate into areas with less snow, which increases the risk of collision in those areas. Most (82%) moose-vehicle collisions occurred after dark. This pattern was strongest during winter, when nighttime traffic volumes were 8 times higher than summer due to longer nights and the very short summer nights of high-latitude summer. Since they appear docile and harmless unlike the bears, wolves and snakes, many fall victim to their antlers." Lily asked, "So what do we need to do to protect ourselves?" Dr. Jackal replied, "Ms. Ipsum will need to add a strong cattle guard on the front of the carts to protect the engines and this will interfere with the weight capacity of the cart loads.”

"No need," Dagny stated. "The vehicles already come equipped with those and they are figured into the vehicle's weight." These were vehicles designed for that area, so, they already had necessary precautions taken.

Dr. Jackal seemed relieved as he heard they already had the cattle guards. He nodded as he looked at the others. He then said, "Granted their are many dangers in the place we will be traveling to, we have talented magic users to ward off the wolves, snakes and bears. So my concern was the collision with a speeding unaware moose who lacks the common sense to avoid people and their vehicles. As for the bandits and people of ill will....... I am confident they would regret meeting Mr. Sung and Ms. Lagrave be it day or night time. As for the toxic plants getting stuck in the tires and axles or the invading the campsite we will need proper gloves to protect our hands when removing them before we burn them in a fire pit. We will also need to acquire a proper face mask to protect us from the toxic pollen and fumes from the burn pit. Poison Ivy may seem like a simple vine to the untrained eye, but once it comes into contact with our skin we will see signs and symptoms of a poison ivy rash include: Redness, Itching, Swelling, Blisters, Difficulty breathing, if you've inhaled the smoke from burning poison ivy. Poison ivy rash often appears in a straight line because of the way the plant brushes against your skin. But if you develop a rash after touching a piece of clothing or pet fur that has urushiol on it, the rash may be more spread out. You can also transfer the oil to other parts of your body with your fingers. The reaction usually develops 12 to 48 hours after exposure and lasts two to three weeks. The severity of the rash depends on the amount of urushiol that gets on your skin. Poison Ivy is far from the most dangerous plants out there so we should not mess with the plant life carelessly and always keep our guard up.”

"Poison Ivy?" Dagny seemed to be going through her memory. "Ah, yes... that doesn't grow here. Its native to the Americas I believe." Which would explain why she didn't mention it when asked earlier.

Dr. Jackal shrugged as he said, "Sorry for the bad reference. However you are correct in that each region tends to have its own dangerous plants. "Deadly nightshade" or Atropa belladonna is a local poisonous plant considered rare in Norway, and can sometimes be mistaken for the harmless "twinberry honeysuckle" due to similar appearance, especially when considering their berries; however, careful observation of flower color and berry arrangement can help distinguish between the two plants. This plant is not dangerous to touch, but do make sure you wash your hands thoroughly if you've handled it to avoid ingesting the toxins that remain on your hands. It would be bad if you handled food or medicine without washing up first." Lily looked at the good doctor and asked, "You sure know a lot about dangerous plants doctor." He replied, "I had a lot of experience studying many plants and animals back in my time. For pure scientific research of course." He was not volunteering the fact it was related to his current condition of having a demon inside him.

Dagny nodded, "I should add that, one of your biggest problem might be mud. If it rains a lot, the ground tends to get soft and muddy. It can be driven through, if necessary, but best you want an extra day and then continued, as, the mud can be thick in parts." Dagny stated. "Any other questions about the travel itself?”

Dr. Jackal touched his chin as he thought about the mud issue and then replied, "If I am correct we can simply switch out the tires with snow tires for the extra grip on a slick surface. I believe that would help unless we encounter a mudslide.”

"Not for that much mud," Dagny stated. "They don't really have the right kind of traction and it'll wear out the tires quicker." She was pretty sure the doctor had likely not encountered mud like she was talking about.

Dr. Jackal rubbed his chin as he ran some theories in his head with the new information. Lily waited patiently as the good doctor was thinking od a solution for the muddy roads. Then Dr. Jackal looked up as he said, "If that is the case we will need a tow line, also known as a tow rope or chain, which is a rope or cable used to pull another vehicle or vessel. I am sure Ms. Ipsum can add it to the carts in case we get stuck. It will make it easier to pull ourselves out of mud ruts.”

"I am certain we can supply those," Elizabeth responded to the doctor. "Now what about the area where we will be staying."

Dagny looked over the maps, and pointed out two area. "Your best best is to stay in one of these two areas. Both have good access to the river, and the lake. This area," pointing to one spot on the map, "Has hot springs nearby, which is useful as the water there is quite cold. Neither should really have campers because most visitors to that area go a little later in the season. The sun doesn't completely set that far north, this time of year, but it still manages to get a bit colder at around 8 PM or so.”

Being quiet, Sung was impressed with Dr. Jackal's insight. Lady Elizabeth was becoming the leader her father wanted. But worrying about simple things like bandits and snakes was a bit much. He thought snakes hat vibrations, so the vehicles would take care of that. He did chuckle lightly at the comment between him and the Bandits. They would have to dress in layers for the weather Japan and Korea could have drastic weather. He would wait to give any advice.

After a moment, Dagney added, "Oh, any hot springs you come across don't ingest the water. They tend to have an extremely high mineral content, great for soaking in though." She paused, then asked again. "Did anyone have any additional questions?"

Elizabeth wasn't particularly worried about snakes, especially ones who avoided people or bandits as both were easily taken care of, but she understood why Dr. Jackal asked the questions, if someone was bitten by a snake it was good to know if it was venomous or not. As for the plants, good information to have, but she knew her team was smart enough to not just start pulling plants out of the ground and eating them without knowing what they were.

Dr. Jackal nodded, "Yes I was hoping to get a few items if possible to keep the snakes and similar creatures away from out camp. Snakes dislike strong odors, so we can try using scents like garlic, onions, clove, cinnamon, cedarwood, lime, hot pepper, and peppermint. We can mix these scents together in a spray bottle and spray them in areas where snakes are known to frequent. You can also sprinkle crushed garlic or a mixture of garlic and salt near your property's boundary. Also if we have ground hot pepper spices I can make a deterrent for the wolves and bears since they have a sensitive nose.”

Dagny realized there wasn't a question in what the doctor said, but added. "There are several stores in Oslo that cater to campers, they would have anything you need. However I most recommend peppermint, the mice don't like it either so it's a two fer deal.”

Dr. Jackal nodded as he replied, "Thank you that is good to know,”

Dagny nodded, "Well, I must be off. If you need me for anything else, just ask Askel, he should be able to get word to me."

"Thank you, Miss Dagny. You have given us useful information." Elizabeth responded.

"God dag," Dagny wished them all a good day, in Norwegian.

Elizabeth showed the woman to the door, and Dagny left.

Then Elizabeth came back into the dining room. "So, we have figured out about the carts and the area. Was there anything else we need to discuss? If not I think we should go into Oslo, secure the carts, so they can be delivered in a few days, along with anything else we might need. Besides I am curious to see Oslo.”

Dr. Jackal nodded as he replied, "Yes Lady Elizabeth. After securing the carts I will need to collect the ingredients from the market we discussed." Lily then asked, "I can help unless Lady Elizabeth needs me for something else." Lily loked to see what response Lady Elizabeth would give her.

"We will all stick together in Oslo," Elizabeth responded to Lily, so, you will be there for Dr. Jackal to get items from the market. We will also stop at a bookstore and a camping store. Oh, yes and, before we go, I will get a recommendation for a good restaurant for lunch from Askel." Elizabeth looked at the time. "Let us meet in the back in the sitting room in about 30 minutes.”