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I always wanted to see a grizzly - I just didn't expect it to be from this close a distance!
I was driving from Canyon Village down the road to the waterfalls when I got into a traffic jam. In Yellowstone, this usually means that someone spotted an animal and everyone stops right where they are to take a picture. Until yesterday, it was either bison or elk/deer when that happened. Yesterday, it was a grizzly. By the time I came to where people had seen the bear, it was gone and since I wanted to see the waterfalls, I took a left turn for the parking lot. Between the road and the parking lot is a smallish area with trees into which the bear disappeared. Can you see where this is going? *G*
By the time I had parked my car - I was lucky to find a space, there were so many people there - and gotten out of it, the bear had made its way down to the parking lot as well. I didn't realize it until I took a few steps away from my car - a somewhat huge GMC Arcadia, the only SUV they had at the rental station - to walk towards the viewpoint for the waterfalls. And what did I see trotting in my direction? The grizzly! So I took the few steps back to my car but the bear disappeared onto the sidewalk a couple of cars in front of me. There was a couple by the car next to me, the man sitting on the pavement to change his shoes, who hadn't realized that the bear was coming. When I told them, the man was all "Huh?" And I repeated "There's a bear coming... actually, it's right behind you!" I've never seen anyone getting up from the floor that quickly :D
The bear wasn't aggressive, though, it looked more bewildered by all the people watching him and taking pictures. He quickly disappeared into the wooded area behind the parked cars and that's where I took the picture. It was no more than probably two to three meters away from me when it walked past. There was always the car between me and the bear though.
Unfortunately, there are always idiots around and this time was no difference. Two people who had missed the bear in the parking lot took off after it to take a picture *headdesks*
I then took pictures of the waterfalls before I drove down to the ranger station at Canyon Village to report the bear and the two idiots following it.
Apart from the bear, I've seen a coyote, a lot of bison - and I mean a lot, there were huge herds of bison in Lamar Valley - pronghorn antelopes and deer and elk. I'm here for a couple of days more so let's see what else I can spot :D
I was driving from Canyon Village down the road to the waterfalls when I got into a traffic jam. In Yellowstone, this usually means that someone spotted an animal and everyone stops right where they are to take a picture. Until yesterday, it was either bison or elk/deer when that happened. Yesterday, it was a grizzly. By the time I came to where people had seen the bear, it was gone and since I wanted to see the waterfalls, I took a left turn for the parking lot. Between the road and the parking lot is a smallish area with trees into which the bear disappeared. Can you see where this is going? *G*
By the time I had parked my car - I was lucky to find a space, there were so many people there - and gotten out of it, the bear had made its way down to the parking lot as well. I didn't realize it until I took a few steps away from my car - a somewhat huge GMC Arcadia, the only SUV they had at the rental station - to walk towards the viewpoint for the waterfalls. And what did I see trotting in my direction? The grizzly! So I took the few steps back to my car but the bear disappeared onto the sidewalk a couple of cars in front of me. There was a couple by the car next to me, the man sitting on the pavement to change his shoes, who hadn't realized that the bear was coming. When I told them, the man was all "Huh?" And I repeated "There's a bear coming... actually, it's right behind you!" I've never seen anyone getting up from the floor that quickly :D
The bear wasn't aggressive, though, it looked more bewildered by all the people watching him and taking pictures. He quickly disappeared into the wooded area behind the parked cars and that's where I took the picture. It was no more than probably two to three meters away from me when it walked past. There was always the car between me and the bear though.
Unfortunately, there are always idiots around and this time was no difference. Two people who had missed the bear in the parking lot took off after it to take a picture *headdesks*
I then took pictures of the waterfalls before I drove down to the ranger station at Canyon Village to report the bear and the two idiots following it.
Apart from the bear, I've seen a coyote, a lot of bison - and I mean a lot, there were huge herds of bison in Lamar Valley - pronghorn antelopes and deer and elk. I'm here for a couple of days more so let's see what else I can spot :D