Out of the corner of my eye I see something black, under the apple trees next door, as I walk from the driveway toward the road.
As I walk around the truck, the “something black” starts to run and there is a big something black and a little something black.
(fumble with camera with a feeling of futility)
Of course I am stopped in my tracks thinking that now is not the time for a walk after all.
After they bound across the road, over the barbed wire fence and up the hill, I go back inside (maybe 3 minutes after I’d left) and tell Don what a great walk he missed.
Don proceeded to convince his wildlife-enamored wife (me) that I scared the bears away so I would be fine to go ahead for my walk now. (alzhiemer’s maybe?)
So, I get to the road and see the first cub head up the big fir tree behind the fence (right) and hear the apple tree rustling (left).
(Now I know, the pictures Don wants to get are of me being mauled by a mama bear.)
At first I wasn’t sure if this was the black bear family we saw across the Alsea River 4 days ago.
Now that I see the 2nd twin cub I’m sure it is. Mom is small; maybe less than 200 lbs. (She still out-weighs, out-teeths and out-claws me.)
She’s watching me close while her 2nd baby heads up the fir tree.
They’ll be back to make a dent in the neighbor’s apples.
And I’ve got the game camera pointing up our apple tree in case they come to ours. I’m glad I pick a few apples off the tree today. They really aren’t all the way ripe yet. So maybe the bears will finish off the neighbor’s while ours ripen a little more?
These photos were taken near Blackberry Campground on the Alsea River.
