Friday, September 10, 2010

First encounter with a wild black bear

In Juneau, Alaska, we took a trip on a float plane to a lodge in a National Park where the rangers cooked us freshly caught salmon on a bar-b-que. While eating, we noticed a black bear wander up to the bar-b-que plate where he stood up and started to lick the plate. We all jumped up to take pictures including Diane who took these two. We were about 5m away from it.

It's not the 'chef' although it looks like it.


The bear had enough and wandered off into the woods.

During the encounter, the ranger was staying with us with a long stick. Just in case.

16 comments:

  1. I love those bear up there. Not enough to have a close encounter...just the nature of them. They really are so beautiful.

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  2. And I'm salivating at the thought of that salmon. Mmmmm..

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  3. Wow, now thats what I call up close and personal. I guess he was just peckish. Beautiful animals, sadly misused in many parts of the world, though I guess not at your BBQ.

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  4. Hi Bill, You must have a wonderful, exotic holiday
    meeting black bears, not what you would encounter in Brisbane. The bear is beautiful and BIG!

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  5. That is really a CLASSIC shot of the bear as the BBQ "boss chef".
    Would make an ideal Christmas card photo???
    Like "welcome to my dinner table".
    Colin (HB)

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  6. That must have been a wonderful experience, and one that you could not have predicted. Did he use Chateau Neuf du Pape to clean the plate down?

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  7. No Julie, not Chateau Neuf du Pape, this particular bear served the meal up with a 1952 Penfolds Grange!
    Nothing but the VERY best for BB & DB.
    Cheers
    Colin (HB)

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  8. Wow. Never been that close. Looks a bit too close, actually.

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  9. How would you like to run into him with your car on a dark night?

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  10. Colin, you're wrong! Grange Hermitage is nothing compared with Chateau Neuf du Pape, after all that's the world's No 1 red by a long shot.

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  11. Wow. What a great experience! Absolutely fantastic. I think there was almighty throbbing.

    Thank you for your comment on "Stuttgart Daily Photo" and your question about wine in Stuttgart. You never heard about "Cannstatter Zuckerle", "Stuttgarter Mönchhalde", "Uhlbacher Götzenberg", "Untertürkheimer Mönchberg" or "Stuttgarter Kriegsberg"? We have Trollinger, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder or Lemberger (as red wines), Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner or Kerner. You unfortunately have missed the "Weindorf", but there are many wine-taverns and "Besenwirtschaften" in Stuttgart where excellent wine can be drunken. I hope I can welcome you in Stuttgart. Then I can invite you for a "Viertele" (or two). I'd be pleased ...

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  12. Looks like the chef needed a shave! He would have to wear a hairnet here in the states! Great pictures, Bill.
    When I was in Alaska in '08 our tour guide carried a road flare as a big mama bear had been sighted in that area earlier. Didn't see her though.

    Thanks for the bear experience. Blessings!
    CottonLady

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  13. Wow, I've never really seen a Grizzly bear before. It's glad I am the ranger stayed nearby. Were you nervous at all?

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  14. It's a black bear, not a grizzly. I'd only be worried if I was a berry. Although you still wouldn't tackle him.

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