June 12, 2012- We woke up this morning to the threat of rain. Not wanting to let a bit of rain stand in our way, we put on our raincoats and drove up the road towards Clearwater Lake to sightsee a bit more of Wells Gray.
Now…we had seen the signs about watching for bears…..but we were still startled to see this guy……
He was just standing on the side of the road casually having a bite of breakfast.
We stopped right in the road (it was a narrow, gravel road and fortunately quiet at 9am in the morning) and were able to just sit and watch…
The bear was on the driver’s side, so Fred rolled his window down and grabbed the camera. We were SO close that we could see every hair in the bear’s fur coat. He really looked soft and cuddly….but we decided NOT to try to hug him! ;- )
And, speaking of wildlife……I saw on a sign that Wells Gray has 30 different varieties of mosquitoes. I believe that! The mosquitoes here are thick….and annoying…..but, pretty typical for the Northwest.Thank goodness for Off.
We continued on upriver……
To Bailey’s Chute…..
Where a lava flow has restricted the Clearwater River, causing this stretch of whitewater to plunge 25 feet over ancient bedrock. Again, we were awed by the force of this river.
And, above all of this turbulence….Clearwater Lake…..where canoers peacefully paddle…..being careful to pay heed to the warnings of “un-navigable rapids ahead”.
We were able to squeeze in a morning’s sightseeing before the rains came…….Back to the camper for a little blogging, a little reading, and a nice cup of coffee. : )
These are awesome bear pictures! I can't believe you were so close! It looks like a magazine.
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