Not exactly mocked. Because it looks like survey equipment, I got accused of being a spy for Al Gore and his invasion with the UN to steal everyone's cattle. Those guys out on the highways with their tripods and making little marks on the road are part of the conspiracy too. Everybody knew that. Sounds nutty, but this kind of information was being deliberately disseminated among naive ranchers and sagebrush rebellion types, and it almost cost me my life. Of course, the UN probably couldn't successfully invade the roadside rest stop at Arbuckle, but don't tell them that. I had a choice between whacking someone with that big Ries to save my own life, and potentially killing them, or thinking really fast. As his armed wannabee militia was heading uphill on ATV's, I convinced him to make a citizens arrest of a foreign agent (me). It took hours being held at gunpoint, but finally an authentic deputy showed up, and as we drove off together in the patrol car, had a good laugh together. I never filed charges. Better having eccentric ranchers in charge of the land than developers.