The Secret Life of Bears

In our small Colorado mountain community, the most exciting news might be about a recent bear sighting. “Did you see the little bear today?” referring to the cub roaming the area looking for food. Apparently, I was one of the few who had not been visited by this furry forager.
 
And then I saw him sauntering across the road, heading to a nearby bird feeder. I stopped my car hoping to catch a photo, but I was too late.  “Hey, wait! Come visit me!”  I said as he scurried off.  Be careful what you wish for!
 
That evening there he was, across the lane at my neighbor’s cabin.  As he started to take off, I quickly jumped in my car to follow him, inviting a neighbor to join me.  We felt like sleuths, secretly watching the bear sniff his way behind each consecutive cabin, finally stopping at one in a more densely wooded area.
 
Stealthily, we proceeded on foot. Keeping a questionably safe distance, we observed as he sniffed around the porch, scratched his butt on a tree trunk, and then totally oblivious to our presence, walked right toward us.  Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. Face to face, we backed up slowly seeking the shelter of the car, but it wasn’t necessary. 
 
The bear started to head up river but then back-tracked, remembering the unfinished bird seed that he had left behind.  Observant and resourceful, he noticed the bird feeder hung, well out of reach, on a wire.  No problem!  With elongated, ape-like arms, the bear climbed the tall, sawed-off tree until he was on the top, his arms outstretched to embrace the satellite dish. Then bracing himself, he used his mouth to shake the wire until the bird feeder flipped upside down, spilling its contents on the ground.  This happy bear wouldn’t go hungry tonight!
 
A few days later, 17 of us were gathered at a neighbor’s cabin for our annual meeting. This time, a more mature bear figured it was a perfect time to raid the other cabins.  Like the crime spree that can happen when guests are occupied at a wedding, we came out of the meeting to discover the broken bird feeders and depleted seeds. 
 
I’d hoped to meet this bear too, but it would be an encounter of a different kind.  At 2:30 a.m., I was awakened out of sound sleep by loud, persistent banging against metal.  Terrified at the thought of someone trying to break in, my heart was pounding as I went from window to window in the dark trying to determine the source of the noise. Then I noticed that my neighbor’s car had its lights on.  I thought I saw a bear in the car.  “Boy, you do have some imagination, Linda”, I said to myself.  Slowly, the loud sounds seemed to move down the lane and I finally fell asleep.
 
Later that morning, I realized that my shed had been the focus of the banging. It looked like it had been attacked by someone with a crowbar.  What could someone want with my old shed?  It was disturbing.
 
Asking my neighbor Dave if he had heard any noise last night, he said, “I woke up this morning and my car door was open and the lights were on.  I KNOW I closed the door last night!”  It was obvious that the dusty butt of a bear had left its mark inside. Another neighbor had paw prints on the inside and outside of his car.
 
Two days later, at 5:30 a.m. I was on my way to the bathroom when I looked out the window and noticed that the lights were on in my neighbor’s car.  “Oh, no”, I thought, “Don’t tell me that a bear is in Dave’s car again.”  All of a sudden, the car started to back up.  “Wow!  The bear has learned how to drive!” 
 
I laughed my way back to bed, comforted in the knowledge that my neighbor was off to an early start to work. The secret life of bears didn’t include carjacking…at least for now.
 
HAPPY SUMMER!