Saturday May 23, 2009
Never in a million years…
While heading home from Alaska, traveling through beautiful British Columbia, we decided to turn south onto Route 37, the Cassiar Highway. We had planned on taking that route to the Yellowhead Hwy as we had done once before. The drive down the Cassiar Highway is one of the prettiest we’ve seen and we wanted to experience it again.
About ten miles down the road I was having second thoughts as to whether we should turn around and go home the same way we came, via the Alaska Highway. Having seen so much wildlife on our way to Alaska, particularly along the stretch from Ft. Nelson, B.C. to Watson Lake, Yukon, it was hard to make up one’s mind. I mentioned this to my friend who pulled to the side of the road. As I was taking a second look at the map the next thing I knew she was pulling at my sleeve, “Look, look!”
I was speechless! We’d been sitting there for less than five minutes (motor running); so many things were going through my mind, “what do we do, we need to leave, etc.” but my friend said, “ I want to see what it does” and started to take videos.
After sitting there for a couple minutes and thinking I DON’T BELIEVE THIS! I remembered my camera I held in my hand and finally started taking photos.
I was concerned that this bear, though only about 200-300 pounds, might break through the windshield…not to mention the damage he could do to the rental. Thank goodness we weren’t standing outside of the vehicle since we never even heard him come up to the car! Even though black bears are more than likely to avoid humans, black bear attacks have been on the rise and a number of people have died.
The whole time he was there we couldn’t believe it! For a couple minutes we couldn’t see him at all and were wondering where did he go, what was he doing? For some reason I was worried he would come over to the passenger side where I was sitting. My friend was never unnerved about the fact there was only a pane of glass that separated them and wanted to stay a few minutes longer. She did lightly honk the horn but he didn’t budge and as you can see he even rested his chin on the hood of the car after a failed attempt to climb up on it. We were driving a Toyota Sienna and the hood of the van is at a slanted angle so that may be why he was unsuccessful.
The bear peeked in the rear window and walked around, licking the van’s headlight and side mirror. I was inclined to believe the bear was only wanting some company but my friend says it was after the bugs. ☺
I thought possibly this bear might have recently been put out on it’s own and simply missed it’s mom. Never once was it aggressive or show any signs of aggression. I hated to leave it in the road like a discarded dog and can still see him looking up at us as we drove away. 
We talked to several people who lived in B.C. and they agreed it must have been an awesome experience. They said, “most likely this bear had been fed by people and was looking for food.” Each one reiterated the saying,“ a fed bear is a dead bear "… maybe that was why I felt sadness when we left him. Even though I was concerned for the van and ourselves it’s easy to get caught up emotionally and forget they are wild.
All I can say is he was so very cute and seemed completely innocent, curious…and possibly a little hungry? ☺
What an incredible experience it was!
Susan Bergstrom
This is just TOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOL….what a face and what an experience!!!
Dyle Warren:
Yes-s-s-s it was Susan, an experience that, sadly, we will never have again!!!
lanebrain phot...
That is so cool! What a great story to go along with some very awesome pictures! What you didn’t roll down the window! LOL!! Terry
Dyle Warren:
Thank you so very much Terry…I’m grateful we have photos and videos…no one would believe us…
webbie
What a awsome trip…but like you i’m feeling sad for the bear…But what great captures…hugggz
Dyle Warren:
Thanks eversomuch webbie! We saw two good sized grizzlies I will be posting their pics soon but this guy was too sweet. Not sweet enough to have the window down though. I did have my window down on the dozen or so other black bears we saw alongside the road…never this close!
Charlie08
How awesome to have such a wonderful experience!! Kudos to you Dyle and your friend! I feel your pain with this baby and I do hope it survives, he is just way too cute! Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your trip!! Missed you! C xoxox
Dyle Warren:
Thank you Charlotte…I almost totally forgot to take pictures I was so shocked! So glad I captured this moment but would have loved to have gotten a shot of when he/she peeked into the rear window too. Ah, but this bear-viewing didn’t cost us a dime and was priceless!!!
Brandie1
Awesome
Dyle Warren:
Thank you Brandie, it WAS truly awesome!!
Maria Dryfhout
Wished I could have been there! Great shooting…. thanx for sharing.
Dyle Warren:
Thank you Maria, I have so much catching up to do here on RB with y’all’s pics. Just had to share this one with everyone…wish we could go back and do it again!
Rany Lutz
Good thing it was just a little Black Bear. Have you seen the video where a Brown Bear breaks the windows and tears the doors off the car? Cool shots!
Dyle Warren:
I think I know which one you’re referring to and I agree. We saw three grizzlies total but two were just on the side of the road. They weren’t babies either and mean looking! I’ll be putting those photos up soon.
One lady we talked to in Hyder, Alaska said she knew a lady tourist who put a weight watcher’s candy bar in her glove compartment and left the window down… in her brand new SUV. Needless to say, the bear got in and totally destroyed the interior. …..he also found the candy bar.
Wanda Raines
Gee Dyle, What a fantastic experience! What a neat photo shoot! Wow!
Dyle Warren:
Glad you like the pics Wanda, it was certainly a once in a lifetime event. We saw so many black bears we stopped counting…over fourteen. They were eating the yellow dandelions along the Cassiar Highway in B.C. and most of the time you couldn’t even get their attention.
Lori Peters
They can open car doors, you know. A bear has been hanging around my daughter’s work place. We have many encounters with them here. They have gotten into cars and totally destroyed the inside. Great captures. Be careful. xo
Dyle Warren:
Thank you Lori! We noticed on our first trip to Canada the bear proof containers that are everywhere in bear country. Something you don’t find in my home state. Once when we tented in the Yukon an officer told us a bear had been spotted around the area and we were excited about it. Now we count our lucky stars we didn’t see him that night!
sleepyeyedrar
NO MORE EVER CAN YOU GO ON VACATION WITHOUT ME….I LIVE EST 3 HRS FROM YOU ….THERE WILL NEVER BE AN EXCUSE AS TO ME ‘NOT’ GOING….Dyle this is soooo cool. He does look sad from the view of leaving ……I have only seen one bear in the “wild” if you call it wild….I spotted it from a distance and thought it was a horse and as I drew closer it kicked and bucked like a horse and then I realized it is a Black Bear. Spotted it going home one weekend and I was crossing the Ouachita Mountains……I nearly peed my pants with so much joy….June 3rd was the day forget the year but that was my oldest son’s birthday and I was headed home to put flowers on his gravesite…..
Wonderful experience I know you had….for the bear to get that close…..
Dyle Warren:
Ha, wish you coulda been there Rhonda! We rented a van and had my son remove the seats for us if we needed to sleep in it in case of an emergency. Heck, we had everything packed in it but the kitchen sink and wouldn’t have been able if we wanted to. We saw over a dozen black bears on our trip and weren’t even looking for them. Saw moose, elk, big horn, deer, buffalo, carribou, grizzlies, porcupine…everything but a wolf. Always before (Aug-Sept) we would see about 4-6 types of wildlife. We are convinced May is the month to go. Not as much color foliage wise and the moose don’t look so macho with their anters coming in but it is the perfect time to see the animals….
barnsis
A totally amazing story and series of images. What an amazing experience for you. thank you for sharing. this
Dyle Warren:
Yes it was Byron, wish y’all coulda been there!! Would like to “relive” it but we realize we could park our vehicle along the same stretch of road for weeks, months, even years and never see something like this again!
Blair Wainman
Wow!! What an amazing experience and so well documented and photographed!! Now I definitely want to make a trip along this side of B.C.!
Dyle Warren:
Thanks Blair! I truly would have forgotten to take pictures if my friend hadn’t been videoing it! Be sure to go in May as we’ve traveled there a number of times (late Aug-early Sept) and have never seen so much wildlife!
Barbara Manis
Thank you for sharing this story and photos with us. What an awesome experience!
Dyle Warren:
Thanks Barbara, it was so thrilling not to share. We will be talking about it for years to come…
billfox256
These darn street people won’t take no for an answer when it comes to cleaning you windshield.
A great series of shots. Bill
Dyle Warren:
Hahaha, I know! He didn’t even bother to use a squeegee! Thank you Bill, I’m glad you the pictures! I’m thankful I was able to get some…
lorilee
What a fun experience!!!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!!!!
Dyle Warren:
Glad you enjoyed this LoriLee! I’m a bit late with my reply…
Gina Ruttle (...
Dyle, this is an excellent photo essay. While reading it I immediately thought ‘this bear has been fed’ only to read further that others concur. That is very sad. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. After looking into the eyes of a bear, particularly at such close range, one will never remain the same.
Dyle Warren:
So sorry for the late reply and thank you for such a nice comment. You’re right about bears, you are forever changed when you see these magnificent creatures in their natural surroundings…
main1
Very nice!! Thank you for sharing this story with us!! great photo’s too :))
main1
“While reading it I immediately thought ‘this bear has been fed’ only to read further that others concur. That is very sad.” I agree with whalegeek :(
Dyle Warren:
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Marleia. It is so sad because he wasn’t aggressive and very sweet actually…
connieinwi
WHAT A EXPERIENCE… HOW FUN…
Dyle Warren:
Oh it was Connie! I just wish I had thought to take pictures sooner…
K M
km.
Dyle Warren:
Thank you Kevin! Sorry for the late reply to your comment. I appreciate it very much!
Charlene Aycoc...
All your shots tell the story, the story is great, I am jealous.
Dyle Warren:
Thank you Charlene! We were so lucky to be at just the right place and time. I’m thrilled we had the experiece although I would love to re-live this once more…☺
Barbara Callahan
wow, dyle, he did seem rather young, but even young bears can hurt you, even if they don’t mean to… just playing, i would think. But i’m glad you didn’t feed him.. that could have been a very big mistake!! you are such a brave woman… and i’m so glad i can call you friend!! you have adventures i could never dream of here in virginia!!! thanks so much for sharing your story and your pictures!!! barb
Dyle Warren:
I’m so glad you enjoyed these and thank you Barb………you are a dear.
It’s sad to think that this poor bear will probably not make it since it appears he had already been fed. So many loose their lives because they’ve become habituated to people. My friend and I made it a point to take vacations every year and started travelling in the ’80’s. She is a native Texan and had never been outside the state. As for me I had been born in Pennsylvania, lived in Florida and vacationed in the Smoky Mountains every year with my parents and I remembered the beauty to be found in other places. All we ever see here in Texas are armadillos and they are becoming scarce…
We would never have experienced these wonderful moments or scenery if we hadn’t made it a priority to travel years ago…even if it meant taking out a loan.
I wish everyone could see the things we’ve seen on our travels. I still meet people in their sixties who say, “wow, I have always wanted to go to Alaska or Canada, etc.” Many of the men are far better off financially than I but I have to wonder what’s preventing them from going? Life is too short…
My mom’s neighbor, who is about 70 yrs. old wanted to see the Grand Canyon years ago. Her husband had already seen it and told her, “it’s just a big hole in the ground.” Needless to say he is gone now and she has never seen it.
I told my mom back then that I would have said to him, “if you want to go that’s fine but I’m going whether you go or not.”
No wonder I’m single……lol…..☺
Lozzie5243
What a fabulous, if somewhat scarey, experience. Cherish it as a memory – we don’t have bears here in Australia so will never have the opportunity of seeing them in the wild, unless we go overseas of course. So glad you shared it with us all………..Lozzie
Rick & Deb Larson
Oh Dyle … what an experience!! A perfect case of a wild animal doing what it has been unknowingly trained to do by being fed by humans … he then equates easy food coming from these metal boxes with wheels that pass through his home territory. It’s very sad … as once this bear has become used to being fed by humans, he then becomes a hindrance bear and when push comes to shove, he is the one that will be shot. Back in 1975 when we were traveling through British Columbia we came across some vehicles that were parked along the highway, so we also pulled over and along comes this black bear … he stands up and places his front paws on our passenger door looking in at us … he was hoping that we would do the same thing that every once else was doing and feed him … it’s so exciting to come across wildlife in the wild (can’t get any better than that), but that’s how we should leave it by just enjoying the time that they want to allow us while we are in their territory. You did a wonderful job documenting your adventure … thanks so much for sharing it, I really enjoyed the story and the photos. On a side note … the Cassiar is such a beautiful drive, we did it back in 2004 when driving back up to Alaska from Washington state after flying down to pick up our new motor home … the scenery and wildlife made the trip. Take Care ~ Rick & Deb ~ ☺
jeffrae
Wow, awesome but scary…it did look on the young side. I have always wanted to see a bear as they are around upstate NY by my parents but never have…this close would have scared the pants off me. Glad you had your camera!
Kay Kempton Raade
Well, maybe next time he won’t try or the people will keep going. He really is begging with his chin on the car. It makes you think of a gentle dog. Glad you didn’t feed him.