June 19, 2014
Cycling out of Terrace Bay after a hearty breakfast a mother bear and two cubs meandered across the highway about 600 meters ahead of us. By the time we crossed the spot, they were well into the bush. The waitress just a few minutes earlier talked with one of the locals about the bear in her driveway but such stories are fairly common. A couple of days previous another waitress pointed to the plastic covering the screen door and explained a bear had tried to get in. With all the warnings and stories, I hadn’t seen a single bear, at least of the four-legged variety. It was a little thrilling to finally spot one at a safe distance. A couple of hours later I happened upon another bear! Close to lunch, I was thinking about food and not that I only think about food close to mealtimes now. I’m about as obsessed with food as those cartoons that see an animal and only see the porkchops or what have you. So absentmindedly cycling along, I sudden notice a bear in the ditch a few meters ahead of me. Sunning itself among the grass and dandelions chewing ever so nonchalantly, it didn’t seem particular interested in me. I warned Les and as I drove around, the bear began sniffing the air trying to figure us out. Not using my bear smarts, I stopped to take a picture. My bear spray is beside my camera so I was now also a little better prepared to defend myself. Thankfully the bear wasn’t interested in being disturbed but when I thought I heard a rustling in the woods, I very quickly got out of there. Another cyclists we have been playing leapfrog the last few days with told us that he came across a mother and three cubs walking along the railtrack earlier in the day. I guess today was finally the day of bears. I’m fine with not encountering anymore. Just before getting to the campground today I managed to snap a picture of two moose beside the highway but only at a distance. They quickly scampered into the forest.