Bears
So we’d seen several bears along the trip, one in Oregon but the rest since we entered Canada. Dave and I even made a bet on how many bears we’d see before we hit the Alaka border. I went low, and Dave went high with 12 bears. So far, I was winning and we were only about 40 kilometers from the Alaska border when we spotted a black bear on the side of the road which put us at a tie. About a mile down the road Dave saw something near a lake and thought it was a moose. We stopped the RV in the nearest pullout and Dave walked back with the binoculars. I started to go with him and for some reason turned back, thinking I’d give Molly a walk but when I got back to the RV I changed my mind about that, too, and just sat in the doorway waiting to see if Dave waved me down in case it was a moose. He turned towards me but instead of yelling ‘yes, come down’ or ‘no, stay there’ he yelled ‘get in the RV there is a bear right there!’ I didn’t see any bear but hopped in and shut the door. This young grizzly walked right up to the door of the RV. I thought I might have to drive up the road if he tried to get in! He had the look of a juvenile delinquent bear and was looking for some easy food (he’d probably been fed by tourists before). Throughout the whole thing Molly didn’t even notice he was there! Dave was stuck out with a bear between him and the RV for a long time but when other people started to stop and look he was able to walk back unnoticed.
Yes, he was really that close. And Dave ended up winning the bet! It wasn’t a moose, though, it was a horse.
Tags: North, to Alaska
Sissy