377 miles from our previous night, at Beavertail Hill State Park (part of the Montana State Park system). We didn't know what to expect from this park system, but they are off to a good start.
We secured a lovely spot by the Clark Fork River, with (so far) nobody on either side of us. No matter--you can tell this is a quiet place. And besides, the small river is a natural white-noise machine which would drown out sounds made by other people.
We are sitting out behind our camper--me once again having my you-drove-us-here-safely-glass-of-wine-reward. And looking for the bear.
The camp host informed us that a bear had been wandering through there on a regular basis. He had seen him today. Vicky said, in fun: "A Grizzly?!!!" We had already checked out the map of Grizzly bear territory in Montana, and she knew that the bears in that area were Black Bears, not Grizzlies. Our plan is not to camp or hike in Grizzly Bear areas.
Black Bears are shy, retiring creatures. They evolved in wooded areas and so protect themselves by climbing trees. Their babies also are adept climbers. Grizzly Bears evolved in the plains, and are not tree climbers. Instead of being of a shape and type to climb trees, the claws of Grizzly Bears are effective for digging--they dig roots to eat.
Grizzly Bears protect themselves in a more aggressive way--by fighting--since they can't climb trees for escape like Black Bears can. Grizzly Bears also have few babies. That, combined with the fact that their babies don't have the natural protection of climbing trees, is why the old adage about not messing around with bear cubs because their mommas will get you actually applies mostly to Grizzly Bears.
We do a lot of reading on how to protect ourselves in wilderness areas from potentially harmful animals (bears, mountain lions, snakes, oh my.). One expert who studied several years of bear attacks summed up the difference between the two types of bears (I paraphrase): "Comparing Grizzly Bears to Black Bears is like comparing a bucket of dynamite to a bucket of feathers."
So, we have our camera ready. I'd really like to get a photo of the bear. We also have our bear spray, but wouldn't be doing anything different if we didn't have any. This Black Bear is much less dangerous to us than the probably 1000 or so drivers we met on the road today who were talking on their cell phones or were texting. For them I wish I had something like "SUV spray."
The new pickup drives nicely. A bit easier than the F-250 because it has a wider stance. But the additional 1500-2000 pounds we are carrying takes its toll on gas mileage. So far, we are getting 10.4 mpg. I am hoping for 10.0 for the entire trip. If there is a silver lining, it is this: Gas is a lot cheaper everywhere than Washington (and California).
Vicky sitting by the river:
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