And More Bears Sunday August 23, 2009

Sunday we drove back into Hyder to hopefully see some bears at Fish Creek.  Needless to say it was raining again…not that it has ever stopped.  It rains so much here but never a hard rain…more like a really soft rain.  I stayed about 30 minutes at the viewing stand and was cold and bored so I left Bob there and I got in the car and starting driving the road…notice I did not say roads…there is only one road…looking for bear.  I did see one small black bear but he was moving pretty fast. 

Then I spotted this little guy…it was my day for black bears.

 

More pictures of Hyder.    

We decided to give it a break so we came back to coach after a couple of hours and took a nap and ate lunch.  We went back to the viewing area about 7:30 or so and were on our way out when a large black bear entered the creek from the other side of the bridge.  This one was so big and everyone was pretty much running trying to keep up with him/her as she moved up the creek. 

Unfortunately, my camera was not able to do a good job.  I knew I was having trouble while trying to take the pictures.  I must have needed to change the setting because it was dusk and getting hard to see.  But…it was a thrill and worth all the time we spent looking.  We did see a couple of other bear while on the roads but did not get pictures.                          I am so disappointed in the pictures but was so thrilled to see this beauty.

Moving On.

Bears, Bears

We arrived in Stewart, British Columbia on Friday afternoon and check into Bear Creek RV Park.  We were tired and had been rained on for so long that we decided to stay in and get some rest. 

Saturday morning we ventured out and had breakfast in Stewart at the King Edward Hotel.  This is where we had our first bear sightings.

Stewart is a town of about 700 people.  The reason most people come to Stewart is because they have to in order to be able to get to Hyder, AK.  Hyder is 3.5 miles from Steward on the canal.  The population of Hyder is 100.  They don’t even have an American customs office at the border.  I guess they figure you can’t go anywhere from Hyder. 

Hyder is a rather sad little community.  The paved road ends at the border and Hyder’s streets are gravel and mud.  We haven’t seen the sun in quite a few days but this weather is typical for this region. 

Did you notice how high the buildings are from the ground?  I think this is because they get so much snow in the winter.  Here is a picture I took of a picture taken one winter.

As I said, people come to Hyder to see the bears…they have grizzly and black bear.  We spotted this big guy on our way to the viewing area.  He was grazing on the side of the road and was no more than 20 feet from us.

There is a boardwalk area maintained by Fish & Game, National Forest that is used for viewing.  Fish Creek is where salmon come to spawn so it great eating for the bears.  The water is so clear but it is sad to see the fish dying after they have deposited their eggs.  Bob keeps reminding me that this is a life cycle for them.  

Photographers come with their fancy cameras set up and wait all day hoping the bears will come to feed…and they do this for days and days at a time.  They have more patience than me.

This is on the other side of the viewing area from the creek.  The water is so blue because it is glacier water.

We drove another 20 miles up to see Salmon Glacier.  It was magnificient.  The road was something else but we made it.  

And I got my puppy fix along the way.    And we finally made it to the glacier.      

The surrounding area.

On our way back to the RV park we stopped in Hyder and ate at The Bus.

Oh yes, this is the other bear we saw on Saturday.

Moving On.