Bear Facts!

Our drive to Buchanan on Friday nite was very bucholic..We took a beautiful drive down Rt 43, along the switch backs on the western slope til we got into town. On
our arrival we felt like we drove into a scene from the tv show Friday Night Lights.
Apparently, it was their official Homecoming Parade down Main St. It was great! The kids were on small floats which were nothing more than farm trailers with the sides off, then decorated in school colors! 'Course the Queen and her court rode in someone's convertible. There were a few antigue cars, and ofcourse the stars = the football team, cheerleaders, and the band!!! It was quentensential small town
Americana..and we became a part of it which was so cool! We had to wait 20 minutes or so til Main St was reopened, but, it was well worth our wait.

We had a wonderful dinner at a B&B called the Rhine River Inn, serving mostly
German food. Steve's Rouladen (rolled beef) was excellant, as was the black forest
parfait (decadent!)...The drive home was just at dusk and we got a chance to see the valley as we came over back on the east slope - gorgeous! The grand finale was when we got to the intersection of Rt 43 and the Pkwy, near the Peaks of Otter Lodge at Abbott Lake. There came the Mama Bear first, along with one cub. Comically, we watched as she tried to coax her other cub to cross over with no luck what so ever...It appeared she was frustrated.(in the meantime a couple of motorcyclists came around the curve and had to do a quick stop. Well after several minutes of coaxing she finally gave up and she and other cub crossed back over to where the other cub was...and they disappeared back into the woods. It was the first time I'd seen a Bear in the wild. It was neat...and like the Ocean, I have the utmost respect for wildlife and their habitat. I always remember that when in a state or national park, I'm a guest of nature, and it's inhabitants. I am just visiting, and may perhaps to them, be an unwelcomed guest. Hard to think that way...but it's true. We always treat these parks as hallowed grounds...Hope most folks feel the same.