Summer of Bears

This past summer on our trip up to Alaska and back, we saw 27 bears, of which we got pictures of 26 of them.  The picture above is, by far, the best bear picture(s) we have ever taken.  When this mother stood up to the oncoming vehicle…well, the only way it could be better is if “we” were the oncoming vehicle, but we give bears more space than that whenever possible.  With so many bears, and even though all 26 have been featured in the blog as we saw them, I thought it might be nice to post a blog posting showing all 26 bears.  In doing so, I have tried to post pictures which were not posted previously.


Bear # 1 – Tetons, May 5th


This bear was seen near Jenny Lake in the Tetons.  I had gotten out of the car, which was parked in the Jenny Lake Parking lot, as I wanted to get a picture of the river and lake.  Shortly as I walked away from the front of the car a lady says to me, “There is a bear down there…”  Sure enough, the bear was down there, and it was going to cross the small river stream, and head right for me.  I got this picture through an opening in the trees…the opening that the bear came through a short minute later.  Of course, I was not there any more as I had moved away.


 



 Bear # 2 – Yellowstone near Old Faithful, May 7th

As we pulled off the Grand Loop Road headed east at the Old Faithful exit, there is a very large grassy field off to the right before the road takes you to the left over the Grand Loop Road headed to Old Faithful.  Out in the middle of this field we see this large Grizzly Bear.  We are in the HHR, so it was easy to pull off and get pictures of this huge bear with no other cars around.  Marcia must have taken around twenty pictures, lots to choose from, and when we pulled away, it was still out there on the grass moving slowly toward the tree line.


Bear # 3 – Yellowstone Grand Junction, May 8th

This grizzly was digging into the dirt, probably for grubs and other bugs.  It never would let us see its face.  A small crowd had gathered alongside the road, and it was probably its way of ignoring everyone.


Bear # 4 - Yellowstone Blacktail Pond, May 9th

This Grizzly was getting its fill of Buffalo.  We were driving from West Yellowstone to Lamar Valley via the upper loop.  There were twenty or more cars parked along the narrow road, lots of folks outside of their car, getting pictures of this bear.  We also got a picture of a Bald Eagle which was waiting for its chance to get some of the Buffalo too.  On our way back from the Lamar Valley, the bear was still there working on the Buffalo.  I talked to a lady who had been there all day and she said that it took about a 90 minute break from eating, laying near the carcass, but far enough away that the birds were able to get their share.


Bear # 5 - Kootenay National Park, May 15th

 This was our first Canadian Bear which we saw in the Kootenay National Park on our way to Banff.  They have no parking signs in this area, and we were driving the motorhome with the HHR in tow, so I did not dare stop…although I slowed to a crawl.  Marcia did a good job getting this picture as I drove on.




Bear # 6 - Kootenay National Park, May 19th



When we first drove through Kootenay National Park, we were in the motorhome, so we decided to come back and visit with the car.  As we got close to the Mt. Sinclair area on the way to Radium Hot Springs, we see this bear near the concrete barrier running along the roadway.  Found a place to turn around, and Marcia got a few picture of him as I again “crawled along” the road keeping within the spirit of the “no stopping signs” along the roadway.





Bears # 7 & # 8 – Banff and Yoho NP border, May 20th

  

These two bears were walking the tracks north of the Trans Canadian Highway at the border of Alberta and British Columbia, which is also near the border of where Banff National Park and Yoho National Park is located.  They were a few hundred yards away from the roadway, and this is the best pictures I got of both of them.


Bears # 9, #10 and #11 – Yoho NP, Emerald Lake, May 20th

While visiting Emerald Lake in Yoho NP, I was looking for bears along the side of the mountains on the other side of the lake when I see this Black Bear.  I point it out to a few others who have cameras which can zoom in, and having my shots, I find Marcia and we start to leave…I give it one more look through the lens and see a baby bear come out.  We turn back and as I get more pictures, the second baby bear comes out of hiding.  Above is a picture of it coming down the slope to mama.


Bear # 12 – Jasper National Park, May 22nd

When we drove to Jasper with motorhome towing HHR, it was snowing at the summit.  As we got close to Jasper it was a light rain, and we see this guy taking picture.  Yes, bear in there, but hard to see, look at the end of the arrow.



Bear # 13 & # 14 – Fort Nelson, May 26th

    

After driving 280 miles from Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson, taking over six hours at our slow pace, we set up camp, went out to eat dinner, and on the way back I decided we needed to do a side road to get a picture of the Muskwa River.  On the way back we spotted these two bears, about 1/4 mile apart from each other, alongside the roadway.  The one on the left was along the driver’s side so I took that picture, the one on the right was on Marcia’s side of the road, and she got it…getting a few fairly close as we gently drove by it.

Bear # 15 – North of Muncho Lake, May 27th

This bear was a few hundred yards away from us heading for the tree line.  By the time we got up to where it was, it had vanished into the woods.  Along the Alaska Highway, there is nice buffer between the road and the tree line through much of the way.  One has to constantly be looking straight, and to the right and left for the signs of wildlife…bears are easy to see.




Bear # 16 – South of Watson Lake, May 27th

This bear was also along Marcia’s side of the road, but the tree line was closer to the roadway, and this bear walked along the tree line for a good 1/10th of a mile.  As with many of our Alaska Highway sightings, we stop the motorhome, and no one else stops because there are no other cars on the road near us.  Sometimes car will come along, but many just keep on going, I guess they get used to see bears along the road.




Bear # 17 - 17 – South of Tutshi Lake, June 2nd

On our way back to the Alaska Highway coming out of Skagway we saw this Cinnamon Black Bear along the side of the road.  It was not there very long, and we were lucky to get a few shots before it shot off into the woods.  The Cinnamon Bear is a subspecies of the American Black Bear, native to the North West US, and Alberta, and British Columbia.


Bear # 18, # 19 and # 20 – Near Haines, July 26th

We thought we were going to “Strike Out” seeing any bears in Alaska.  As we got close to the Haines Border Crossing, we saw these three Grizzly Bears, a mama and her two cubs, running along the Klehini River which is a typical glacier river with lots of rocks along the banks for when the river swells during the spring or heavy rains.  The width of this rocky area is at least 250 yards wide, and the bears had a long way to go to get to the safety of the trees.  I first saw the mother bear, then one cub close behind.  Suddenly the mother stops and looks back and the third cub is spotted, sniffing around.  She must have given it a growl, because it starts running, and took 20-30 seconds to catch up to momma and its sibling.  I only got three or four pictures of all three bears together, and this one is one I had not shown before.


Bear # 21, # 22 and # 23 – Cassiar Highway, July 29th

This is the same set of bears as the opening picture in this blog…it by far was our most interesting, fascinating, longest sighting, and most cherished bear moment of our trip.  Driving the Cassiar Highway about 50-75 miles north of Meziadin Junction on our way to Hyder, I spot a black dot way ahead along the highway.  I slow down and quickly we see it is a bear.  We creep to under 100 yards away and stop…no traffic coming or going…and we enjoy a 15 minute encounter with what ends up being a mama bear with two cubs.  And when this blue car coming toward them, the mama bear gets up on her hind legs until the car stops.  We still had another 3-4 minutes with them before she takes them safely into the woods again.  15 minutes of our life which we will cherish forever.


Bear # 24 – Meziadin Junction, July 29th


After our earlier encounter with the mama and two cubs, this bear alongside the road at the junction of the Cassiar Highway and the Highway to Stewart/Hyder.  It pretty much just sat there as traffic went slowly by…as the traffic going slowly by looked at it.




Bear # 25 – Near Stewart, July 29th

This big bear was just walking along the road as we were about 4 miles out of Stewart, BC.   When we slowed to a stop, it stops and looks back at us…but for the most part it was ignoring anything that drove by.  As we drove by I tried to get an even closer shot of it, but that did not work out…and I wasn’t about to stop right next to it and roll down the window, that’s for sure.


Bear # 26 – Near Stewart, August 1st



This was, by far, our saddest bear experience.  This little bear looked so thin, its fur was in bad shape, and we could only hope that it was going to make it through the winter.  It was located about the same location as the bear we saw on the way to Stewart/Hyder a few days earlier.  It was the last bear we saw on our trip.




I have seen bears out in the wild since I was a young child.  Camping up at Lake Tahoe or at Yosemite…seeing a bear walk through the campground was not an uncommon sight.  However, seeing this many bear during our trip to Alaska and back was surely a special treat for us.

When a Bear says STOP! – Cassiar Highway (day 2, pt. 1)

July 29th

When a mama bear stands up to a on coming car to protect her cubs, and when you are in the on coming car, believe me…you STOP!  On our drive today to Stewart, which is in Canada and only 3 miles from Hyder Alaska, we were the first on the scene of this proud, protective mama and her two little cubs.  We have LOTS of pictures, which we shall show later, but I just had to open today’s blog with this wonderful picture.  And I will always remember the picture I missed…when before mama stood up to the car, one of the cubs stood up to the other cub as they played out in the middle of the highway!  It was one of those “hitting the off button instead of the zoom button” type of things.  As I realized what I had done, turned the camera back on, the little cub was back on all fours again.  Darn…opportunity missed.

We had not been on the highway very long this morning before we started to pass Eddontenajon lake.  There was a rest area turnout, but numerous travelers were already parked in there so I continue on…after all, we had only been driving 9 miles so far.  Marcia yells, “Stop!”, so I start to slow.  What is it?  A bear?  A moose??  Nope, it is a rainbow out in the middle of the lake.  No wonder people were stopping at the rest area, and thank goodness there were other small pullouts where we could stop and get pictures too.  But the camera is not working right…every time she snaps a picture it says, “still writing…”  Hmm, sounds like someone forgot to put in the SD Card into the camera.  Quick fix, and Marcia gets her pics of her Rainbow.  Now we both own Rainbows.   

But that is not good enough for Marcia…we drive just a short distance and its another “Stop!”  She gets this picture of a double rainbow.  If you look closely to the right of the big rainbow in the picture above, there is the start of another rainbow!  Marcia got a Double Rainbow!

    

The next 40-50 miles the scenery is awesome (above pictures).  More lakes, distance mountains, blue skies with wonderful fluffy clouds.  We couldn’t ask for a better morning.  You wonder how long can this go on for? (below pictures)

    

    

    

    

That takes us another 40 miles or so…this is just so mind blowing, so pretty, so awesome.  What could be nicer?  And then…

I spot a black dot in the road ahead…”Marcia, do you see it?”  Yep, she is on it…window down, and she takes this shot.  Always try and get a shot first, no matter the distance…you never know when wildlife will just dart away.

 

After the first shot, you zoom in just a bit…”There are two of them Dave,” she says.  I am still slowly bringing the motorhome to a halt…quick stops make noise…and we need to find that right distance where we can observe, but not be in their way.

I have come to a stop, moved to the right, have flashers on…no other cars in sight.  Marcia hands me the camera because with her hurt arm, it is hard to keep the camera steady for a full zoom in.  You zoom in with a camera, and you have to have a steady hand.  Also, leaning out the left window you can hold the camera steady with your left hand, and zoom, focus, shoot with your right…and hope that you don’t turn it off!

So my first shot is zoomed in a bit…and thank goodness mama has decided to go back to the other side of the road, giving me just a few more pictures to take.

Awe, such a good bear.  Keep an eye on perceived danger, ready to shoo the baby off to the side if the danger materializes…and posing for the eager cameraman. 

And add to the above list…getting child number two from out of the grass.

With full family in tow, mama starts to make it to the other side…

…then she stops and smells. 

Don’t know what it is, but she hesitates, and heads back the other way and toward us.  It was between these two shots (above) that I had a brain fart, and accidentally turned the camera off…and the one cub (the one directly behind mom above) got on its hind legs playing with its little sibling.  I will always regret missing that shot!

Safely back to the other side, mama looks back to the left…

…another quick look at us…we are still the only vehicle around, and I am sure she told the kids to stay in place, and off to the left side she heads.  But danger is at hand…

I saw the car first, and I quickly flash my lights at it…the car slows, I get back on the camera and mama is nearly to the other side…but “junior” wants its mama, while the larger cub obeys and lays in place.

The larger cub sees the car coming, runs to tell mom (who I am sure knows of the oncoming car, but she is still sniffing into the brush)…

…whatever it is, she does not want to rush in there…and now it is time to confront the oncoming car.  The cubs don’t sense the danger that she knows all to well.  The people in the car…well, they just slowly keep coming…there is now a car behind us too, but they stop far behind us, the guys gets out and has his camera going.

    

And mama takes a stand.  In the opening picture of this LONG blog she stands, and the car stops.  Now in the shots directly above the car has moved over, and the passenger is hanging out taking pictures.  Mama gathers the little ones, who are in WOW of mama standing up to this this mechanical creature which was headed toward them, and she shoos them to the side of the road.

In an instant the cubs are gone, and mom is right behind them.  WOW, did we actually just see all of that?  For 3-5 minutes we had the show of a lifetime.  First it was a private show…then it was a group show.  The oncoming car starts back up and we wave at each other.  Part of me wanted it to be our “special wave”, because I felt they violated the space of this mother bear and her cubs.  On the other hand, due to this violation, we got a show which we could have never imagine happening to us. Eventually the people behind us, who I had talked to previous and who also are from Florida, honk and wave as they pass by.  It was such a special show…

This post is too long as it is…and our trip today is only half over…and we have two more bears to share and lots more scenery including some glaciers with all shades of blue.  So absorb this post, and move on to part 2 when I get it posted.

We did not have Internet for three days, so "IF" you did not see the previous post "Cassiar Highway is Breathtaking – and a Moose with a Calf", just click now.  I will try and have part 2 posted tomorrow (August 2nd) along with another post about our time in Stewart BC and Hyder Alaska.