Doesn’t it get on your nerves when you’re right but some crazy teenagers just won’t listen because they think they’re cool?
Generation war just got interesting with this story.
Check out what happened!
I have a remote, rural property where I plan to build a cabin someday.
In the meantime, my family and I camp there as much as possible since we love it out there; creek nearby, rolling hills that used to be ditch-irrigated pasture, gorgeous view, and pretty much nobody around.
This man came in handy later on…
One of the few people for miles is the ditch rider that operates a trans-mountain water diversion structure farther up the creek, owned by the company that bought the water rights my property had before the previous owner sold it.
I had met the ditch rider once before. He was gruff at first, but as I curiously questioned him about his work, he opened up a little bit.
Ok, enough backstory.
One Friday evening, my family and I arrived to camp out only to find a group of kids in their late teens in the upper field. Pickup trucks, circle of tents, and large bonfire.
The kids seem to have been having a good time.
I drove by them on the dirt road, and it looked like they were having a pretty chill get-together. I didn’t mind so much that they were trespassing, but we were in a Stage II fire ban, so having a fire was a big deal.
Here in Colorado, it doesn’t take much for a fire to spread, and before you know it, thousands of acres are scorched.
He wanted to warn them.
So I parked my vehicle at our “building site,” left my wife and daughter there, and went up to talk to them.
Map in hand, I pointed out that this was private property, and showed them some of my favorite camping spots in the nearby national forest and BLM. But since they had already set up camp, they could stay where they were for the weekend.
I made the offer that if they wanted to come back in the future, they could if they just asked me beforehand. Not a bad deal, I thought.
However, I told them that we were in a stage II fire ban, and flame, including campfires and smoking outdoors, was absolutely prohibited. I asked that they put out the fire immediately, and they did.
They were being mean for no reason.
As I was walking away, I heard one of them say “He thinks he owns the place” and they all laughed. I was a little offended considering how I could have easily told them to GTFO, but whatever, you know how male teens can be when trying to impress a group.
Lo and behold, an hour later when I walk back up to check on them, there’s a bonfire twice as big as the first one. A “got you” to me and, more importantly, a massive disgrace to the well-being of the entire region.
This is where it gets interesting.
I decide I need to teach these little kids a lesson.
I devised a perfect plan.
Remember when I said that this used to be ditch-irrigated pasture?
All the old water structures were still in place and in pretty good condition. Only problem was, I didn’t have a water right.
The Savior?
So I drove up to the ditch-rider’s cabin, and he remembered me from when we had met (I don’t think he gets a lot of visitors). I explained the situation, and his rough exterior turned to outright glee as came up with the same plan I had.
Together, we shut his company’s headgate by about half, allowing a surge of water to flow downstream, and then drove down to the headgate of “my” old ditch, and opened it fully.
They got what they asked for.
From the dirt road on the ridge above, we watched as the water crept across the field, soaked their tents and presumably their sleeping gear, and drowned the fire with a steaming hiss.
A mad scramble ensued, as they hastily loaded up their gear and drove away (well, one got stuck in the soggy field for a few minutes and needed to get pulled out).
There’s some cherry on top!
As they passed us on the dirt road out, I get a nasty look from the guy who had so indiscreetly told me off. I chuckled to myself.
It’s not like I own the place 🙂
The kids could have just listened to the old man because he was right!
Guess they wanted to learn their lesson the hard way.
Let’s find out what folks on Reddit think about this story.
This person wants some visuals!
This person loves the comeback.
This person has a reply for the teens.
This person has their own experience.
This person loves what the property owner did.
Who doesn’t love a good revenge story that’s completely justified?
This man made a great move to save the wildlife!
If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.