I may chat about my books, what I'm writing or reading, or just general thoughts. You may read posts about my cats or just my crazy life in general. Comments are welcome, if anyone wants to interact with me. Maybe we can share war stories, whether it's writing related or just about life in general.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Bears and Blueberries



The only time I’ve ever come face-to-face with a bear was when I lived in Alaska.  It was summer, that wonderful short time between June and the middle of August. 

Fruits and veggies grow at a fast rate in Alaska because the growing season is so short and the days are extremely long.  Not far out of Anchorage, toward the Alyeska ski resort, there are hills of wild blueberries in the summers.  The path is marked by what is barely recognizable as a trail wondering off into the woods.  We had to park on the shoulder of the highway and hike about two miles.  Once we climbed the embankment, the whole area was covered with blueberry bushes.  It didn’t take long to fill the buckets we packed up the hill with the juicy, sweet berries. 

Photo by Nature Pics

As we discovered, black bears also loved this treat.  We stumbled upon a mama bear and her two cubs on one such outing.  I wish I had a camera with me, but of course, bears were the last thing on my mind. 

We slowly backtracked with not many berries that day.  She only looked at us and didn’t advance, but we kept our distance.  I wasn’t frightened at all, only awed at the scene before me. 

Every summer we made several trips to this same place and never saw another bear.

Have you ever come this close to wild animals?

12 comments:

  1. While driving through the Smoky Mountains the bears came onto the highway begging for food from tourists. We didn't stop. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ally, the bears probably aren't afraid of people there because they see so many and know they'll get a handout.

      Thanks for stopping by and reading.
      Sunni

      Delete
  2. I would have been terrified! I once spotted a bear on the side of the road on the way to a campsite. I literally wanted to turn around and go home. Then when we got to the campsite, signs were posted all over about a mama bear and her cubs. I simply could not enjoy the trip after that. I love the pics of all your kitties! Koki looks like my cat, Sam, who passed away three years ago. We still miss him!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan,

      I was more shocked than terrified. We didn't stay around though. I think a bear could be fierce if she has cubs to protect.

      Thank you on the cats. I LOVE all of them so much. It's rough when you lose one. Koki will be ten next month. She's a character and daredevil.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.
      Sunni

      Delete
  3. Too bad Sunni you didn't have a camera at the time. That would have been a moment in time to capture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thea,

      I wish I had a camera too. That kind of moment won't come around again. I took very few pics in AK though, not like I do now.

      Thanks for your comment.
      Sunni

      Delete
  4. We don't really get bears where I'm at, but we get a ton of deer. We would get dear in the backyard, just on the other side of the fence, at the daycare center I worked at all the time. The kids would go running to the fence yelling "DEER! DEER!" which would, of course, scare the deer away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emily, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. We used to have a cabin in the mountains and had deer there all the time, but not here in the high desert, which is considerably lower in altitude.

      I bet the kids love seeing the deer.

      Sunni

      Delete
  5. This reminds me of the book Blueberries for Sal. Loved that book when I was growing up!

    The only time I have ever been that close to a bear was once when we were camping on a family trip. (Somewhere in Alberta maybe? one of the Canadian provinces...) The bear wondered into the campground between my siblings and I and our camp site. We made a lot of noise and tried to stay calm. Eventually he ambled away and let us get back to our tent for dinner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vanillabean, I'm sure bear are plentiful in Alberta and the other Canadian provinces. I've heard they like to wander into campsites looking for food. I bet that was scary for you.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

      Sunni

      Delete
  6. I love being able to see bears in the wild. I live in Idaho so we cross paths with black bears pretty frequently when in the back country. They're just amazing. I try to watch from the safety of a vehicle or the buffered distance afforded by a zoom lens, though.

    Love your kitties. I have three of my own. They're spoiled rotten...

    Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elle,

      Thanks for leaving a comment. I bet you do see bears in Idaho. I lived in Alaska years ago. There are no bears in the high desert where I live now. I bet you've got lots of great pics.

      Oh boy, my cats are spoiled rotten too. They think this is their house and they let me live here. LOL

      Delete

Thank you for stopping by to read and
comment on my posts. I appreciate it.
Sunni