Wildlife, oh my!

As we prepared for this trip, Jim and I read up on various critters, large and small, that we were likely to encounter. Having heard from multiple sources that mosquitoes and black flies could be a major issue, we diligently treated our tent and many clothes with permethrin, an insect repellent.  Now that we have travelled several hundred miles, I will share some of our encounters so far.

#1  Bears! Our first bear experience came in Eagle Plains where a local black bear was hanging around trying to get at some yummy garbage

Watching the bear decimate the lid on the garbage gave all if us pause as we were heading out on our bicycles the next day and realized just how much damage a bear can do.  Fortunately we bought bear spray in Inuvik and had a way to defend ourselves unlike more of our fellow riders.

The bear spray proved to be a life saver two days later when we and about 5 other riders encountered a Grizzly bear on the road. (sorry no photos…we were too busy avoiding a disaster!!)   The bear was clearly accustomed to humans due to a scenic rest stop just up the road and unbeknownst to us, one of our fellow riders had just tossed the bear a sandwich to all them to escape when the bear came right up to him and his wife on their bicycles.  The bear was no doubt hoping for the same from us and kept coming towards us despite all of us yelling at him and trying to scare him away. Jim very bravely pulled out his bear spray, walked to the front of the group ( we had all stopped and were off our bikes), walked towards the bear who continued to advance on us. The bear spray only shoots 18 ft so Jim held his ground until the bear was about 15 ft away. He then shot the bear right in the face and the bear turned and ran far enough away that we could get by with the help of a camper van that had just arrived!! Whew!! Needless to say, the rest of the day was fueled with adrenaline!! Jim was the hero of the day.  The next morning we again encountered a Grizzly along the road. It also was not particularly fearful of humans but with a group of us shouting and Deb blowing on her trusty whistle, he finally left the road and we all passed by safely.

Other wildlife encounters were far less exciting. We saw a fox at the Artic circleand Antwon, a prairie dog who showed off for us. We saw a moose one day and keep hoping to see caribou.  Oh, and lest I forget, we have seen many, many mosquitoes!! Fortunately out insect repellent clothing and tent have been pretty effective. When that is not enough, there is always our fashionable head gear.Will keep you posted on further wildlife sightings and adventures. Kudos to Jim!!  And just a few more photos from the Dempster Highway before we leave it behind for pavement and more traffic:

21 thoughts on “Wildlife, oh my!”

  1. Very cool. You don’t have to out ride the bear, just the slowest rider!
    What kind of weather are you getting. I heard it has been 90 degrees in Anchorage.

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    1. We haven’t seen the hot weather. Cold mornings, reasonable days. Quite a bit of smoke but not too bad. It has been tough but really spectacular. Really enjoying our friends

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  3. Way to go both of you! I would have liked to have taken Jims pulse in front of ye bear! Love, Dwight

    Sent from my iPad

    >

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  4. Say hi to Debbie for me. I always remember getting in “trouble” from her for taking a photo of her and the gang under-attack from some dogs instead of doing something heroic to aid them 🙂

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    1. PS The story of Jim and the bears and your apology for no photographs made me think of the story about Debbie and the dogs

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  5. Beeba is so brave! Way to sacrifice himself for the group! What if the bear spray can had jammed? It shows that Jim’s ever diligent preparations can pay off. I am glad he had the bear spray.

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  6. Gideon is impressed by Beeba’s bravery, but wants pictures of the grample with life-threatening wildlife. Lily wants to make sure you stay safe on your travels and ride away fast from the next bear that you see. However, Lily does want to ensure the dogsitter in Spokane is aware that if everyone on the trip does happen to expire via bear attack, that she is supposed to get Jack and Star. Roo needs Meema and Beeba to come home safe and sound to provide copious free babysitting and teach her about feminism ideals.

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  7. Barb!
    I LOVE Reading your blog!
    Jim’s bravery impresses me !
    A grizzly no less!
    Stay well, Stay strong, stay healthy !
    Love you!
    Jan

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  8. It seems to me that Jim shouldn’t have to buy beer for many miles to come. I also believe that he makes a stunning model for mosquito proof clothing!
    Be safe, enjoy the adventures and keep up the blogs when you can.
    Flora

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  9. Glad that you are doing well n avoiding Grizzly bears. Hope you have enough spray to last the whole time. Sounds exciting and beautiful.

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  11. Hi Barb,
    Sounds like a great time.
    We had a bear encounter a few levels below your experience.
    We were hiking alone on a somewhat remote road near East Glacier Park.
    A mother Brown bear and her two cubs appeared in front of us.
    We stood still and she eventually turned away from us and ran up and across the road.
    We also were too mesmerized to think of our camera until the moment passed.

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    1. Amazing. This grizzly was intent on us since he had had food from cyclists before. The game warden told us that he had become too aggressive and was going to be sent to the great beyond as soon as he could find him.
      Sorry again that we are missing you

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