LIONS AND MOOSE AND BEARS, OH MY!

Checking in at Glacier International Peace Park, we learned of the dangers of cohabitating with the wild creatures … mountain lion, black and grizzly bear, longhorn sheep, rattlesnake and moose. We learned that dogs and bears don't mix and that they are not allowed on the hiking trails. We learned that the MOST dangerous of all was a momma moose with a cub.

We secured our site and began getting dressed for a night out. We heard there was a singer/songwriter playing at the lodge so we decided to hike the 1 mile to the concert (I was having music withdrawal symptoms). We put on our cleanest dirty clothes, thrift store finds we gathered along the way, and headed down the road. On the way we encountered several "warnings" about bears and moose cubs and lions OH MY! Half way down the mountain a car slowed down and a young woman stuck her head out of the window and whispered to us … “There is a moose cub just ahead”. We turned around and tucked ourselves in for the night. My Grandma always told me that there are three things to be thankful for … “A gift, an invitation and A WARNING”. Who is to say … was it intuition or paranoia? We may never know, but at least we are alive to ponder the question.

(Can you find Yogi in the picture to the left?)

The next day we decided to hike the road again in broad daylight with Fritz. All of a sudden Fritz leaps forward and goes nuts. I see a big black bear crossing the street just yards ahead. He sees us too. A moment and a life flashing in front of me, we slowly turn and go back to our RV and lock ourselves in once again. Later, we venture out into the campground one more time only to come upon a huge momma moose with her cub walking right into the campground. Home again we lock the door. Now, I would love to see a Mountain Lion … perhaps through my windshield window. Crossing the border into Canada tomorrow. Wish us luck at customs. How do we explain the 70+ pair of used cowboy boots and 50+ western shirts we have in the RV ???