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Morgan and Dale Meet a Bear |
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Sunday, June 12, 2005: Morgan and Dale are mountain biking in the mountains to the west of the resort as we usually do. In fact we are on one of the roads which Morgan wrote about in her Search for Buck Prairie story. We just came off a great downhill run and have turned onto a level road not paying much attention to what's going on because we've been on this road many times. I happen to look ahead on the trail to see a very large black object stand on four stumps (that's what it seemed like at first). My first thought |
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was that someone had left something in the road because it wasn't moving. The thought ran through my head that it was a bear, but it still wasn't moving. I stopped, called to Morgan to return to me, which she did, she hadn't noticed this large black object ahead and we have had plenty of practice since we come across dear all the time and I always call her away from chasing the deer and she always obeys. I'm struggling to reach my camera. I knew the bear was too far away for a good photo (see above) but I wasn't about to move closer. I put the camera on maximum telephoto which I knew would be hard to hand-hold and the bear was in a shadow anyway. I was hoping, when the bear began to move, it would move away, not toward us. I began |
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thinking of excape routes. Morgan and I could turn and run the other way but I wasn't sure if a bike and a dog could out-run a bear. Finally the bear casually noticed us. It started running but since WE weren't moving, stopped and turned to see who we were (photo at left). Now I'm beginning to wonder if this bear has cubs. I'm debating about putting the camera away to get ready to run and keeping the camera at the ready hoping for a better photo when the bear decides it has seen enough and bounds off into the woods. I had mixed feelings of disappoint for not having a better opportunity for a photo and relief that the |
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bear did not come our way. Happy Morgan never even noticed the bear. I wish she would have noticed because I would want her to connect the bear scent with the bear - animal. |
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