A Bear Day

Spending a week on Hatteras Island in North Carolina, a friend and I decided to visit Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge located in Manteo, North Carolina. Someone had told us we'd see bears, and I'd always wanted to visit so we motored on down the road. The refuge is a very different world from the beaches of Hatteras but it is a beautiful and wild world. We saw almost no people but did see a wonderful assortment of butterflies, wildflowers, blooming grasses, still waters, and long vistas. And a bear. He (or she) was standing on a side trail, and as we drove past my friend shouted, "Bear, back up!" So back up I did. He lingered long enough for her to get a photograph and then fled into the woods. We were just moving on when he darted out, running in front of the car. I stopped the car and got a few photographs of him as he ran ahead, crossed the road, and disappeared once again from sight.

Maybe not award-winning photography, but a thrill anyway.  I'm already thinking of when I might be able to return to Alligator River.

You can find out more information about Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge here: http://www.fws.gov/alligatorriver/index.html.

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