More bears at the Junk Yard and Glaciers

August 17, Sunday

    Up not so early this morning, thinking on whether to head back out to see more bears (yeah!!) and drive some more roads in the park or head down toward Smithers.  The road was closed yesterday due to fire between there and Prince George the next large city we are headed toward.  The weather here looks good and pretty clear, so still not decided while we clean up and eat some breakfast of biscuits and sausage.  Lin is excited about breakfast, while I’m excited to see some more bears.

   The weather cleared up about 9, so we are off to look for bears and wildlife.  Our brown grizzly, called “Jaws” showed up just as we go to the Bear Creek, so got some great pics of him again. The other black grizzly was there earlier, but not now, so off to drive the glacier road.  

 A bit of shopping at the local art store, a few "different" RVs on the road, and then off to see more views of the glaciers. Very foggy, so some we didn’t get to see as much today as yesterday.  Did see a marmot again today and was able to get a small pic of him peeking out of his rock home.

The road got a bit rough and we weren’t sure about a few of the bridges, so after a few of them we decided this one was too rough for us and turned around.  But still had more views to see and then on back to Hyder, the town. 

  Drove by the junk yard (doesn’t everyone check out the junk yard on your vacations?) It was a riot!! And not in the bad way.  The black bears were having a great time, mom with her cubs, learning to forge for food, a boar running her off for a few minutes then she is back to get her “beer” on! Her cubs are having a great time climbing trees and playing until she calls them to come for dinner.    

  A few houses we found and sure glad we aren’t living in those RVs!!

Bears, bears, and Junk Yard bears...

August 16^th, Saturday

  4:30am! Good morning, still dark while we get up, can you believe just a few weeks and we are now seeing true dark early in the am.  Excited to head to the bear viewing area to see me some bears!! 

  Got there by 6am Canada time, 5am Alaska time.  I’m not sure how this area does the time since Hyder is only 4 miles from Stewart and only Canada has a border entrance here. You can go into the US without stopping but when coming back across to the RV park, you go thru Canadian customs.  They want to know if we are bringing anything into Canada.  I guess bringing a bear back is frowned on??  I am trying to upload a video here of the bears, but not sure it will post? 

  Lots of bears this am, black and grizzly.  This first one came out of a stagnate pond, I was the first to see the water rippling and asked what is that?  She is named "Mary", about 12 years old and was very crabby this am.  Charged at the boardwalk and everyone jumped back quickly.  Headed out by the RVs and then across the road.  A few minutes later, she was down on the river catching her salmon.  I thought it was a black bear, but the rangers say she is a black Grizzly.  She didn't like to fish, she was just walking up and down the river, eating on the dead fish there.  
 Lots of salmon eating, then off for a great drive out to see all the glaciers here. 

Saw a lot of  mountain views and some really fast marmots that ran across the road, so as not to get their pic taken.  A few more glaciers, and actually saw a herd of river otters crossing the road, they looked up, saw us and ran across and hid in the river.  Didn’t see them come back out, but they were so cute.  

Lin is saying we should have a dash cam on the truck and we would have had a lot more pics that we missed!! 

Back for more bears at the river, they had already eaten and we were hungry so went out for seafood ourselves at the local Tavern Inn.  There is a crazy “Hyderizing” here, a drink but we didn’t try that one.  Only dinner and more bears in the junk yard!!  Driving around the junk yard can be dangerous and not just the bears.  We caught us 2 large rocks between the tires and had to take the tire off to get them out.  At least it wasn’t a flat, just a few rocks.  But by the time we got them out, the whole town of Hyder heard about them! Too funny in such a small town.  Mommy Bear teaching her cubs to enjoy the spoils in the junk yard.