Bear tales

So Adrienne and I were driving back from Fairbanks to Wasilla. Denali is about 2 hours south of Fairbanks and we had just entered the park area. We pulled over to look at some of the tourist shops, but decided to trudge on to Wasilla. As we pulled away from the tourist area, and rounded the bend near the park road, we saw a couple of vehicles pulled over.

In Alaska, those of us who live here sometimes get frustrated over the amount of traffic and slow moving RV's. I had been stuck behind this guy for a while now, and was getting a little irritated because I just wanted to get us home. He, however, was enjoying meandering through the park area, so when he slowed to a near stop, I was miffed. He pulled over to the right side of the road, but then oncoming traffic pulled over as well. Then I saw a brown mass and said to Adrienne, "must be a moose." No sooner had I said that, we both realized it was a very large brown bear. I have seen brown bears in Alaska, but always from a distance (thank goodness). This one was pretty darn close. As I pulled over, Adrienne was bouncing up and down going "where's my camera?!!!!" She was so excited it was hard not to chuckle, but I have to admit I was excited too.

This bear was busy eating cranberries and just didn't care that no less than a dozen cars had stopped to watch. I explained he did not feel threatened and would stay there as long as he felt safe, so we were able to watch him for a good 5 minutes, eating his way along the side of the road. Adrienne finally got her camera ready, and I attached my zoom lens and snapped away. Here are a couple of pics to show you what beautiful animals these are. I just wish I could tell you how big this thing was! You'll have to take my word on that. Clicking on the photo to show it's actual size will help.