A True Bear Story...

Well, I'll try not to be too embellishing on this story...

When we went to Gatlinburg, Tenn last week with our good friends Betty and Jim Jewett, we decided one morning to get up at the crack of dawn, really before, and go to Cades Cove. We reached Cades Cove before it opened. I was sleeping, but about the time we stopped, I looked over to my right and saw a bear by the road, so I excitedly say bear, then I look to the front and a mother and two baby bear are going into the woods and we all say bear. That was our first bear sighting. (The keep telling me I was sleeping and really didn't see the bear by my door...but, I tell you, I did!)

The big bear story took place later, closer to the middle of our journey through Cades Cove. When you see lots of cars stopped and lots of people out of their vehicles, something big is up. Well, this something big was a big bear and cub. There were lots of people out and lots of people trying to get close to this bear. If you know bears, they don't like to feel threatened! This bear just kept keeping an eye on the people while she sat there with her cub.

Well, Betty is trying to get close to get a picture and Merrill is trying to get close just to get close. This bear just keeps looking around to check out the people... probably, sizing up his meals. I hurt my leg, so I can't run fast and I just started hobbling out of the woods. I'm thinking... if that bear decides to charge can my husband, even as big as he is, fight it off ...or can Betty run fast enough to beat the bear! Of course, Merrill said, "I had to be just fast enough to beat Betty or the other people!" Well, the bear didn't get up while we were there, she just kept looking around frequently. We didn't hear about anyone getting attacked so I assume the bear wasn't hungry! How's that for a true to life bear story?

We've gone to Gatlinburg for years and probably haven't seen a half dozen bear. This trip, I saw six and they saw five. No, I wasn't dreaming!

Note: The bear picture here is not from our trip, but it is like the bears we saw.

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