It was the normal lazy morning here, and I was just sitting in the kitchen eating my cinnamon and banana oatmeal chatting with one of my housemates. Her boyfriend Josh, another housemate, was sitting outside on the front porch enjoying the sunny morning. He came in to say hi, chat with us, and plan their day of rock climbing. The next thing I know, he yells "Hey, there's a bear in the driveway!" and runs for the kitchen. I jumped up and leaped over to the window to look outside. A huge fat black bear was wrangling with our locked trash can, knocking it over hoping to score some leftover goodies. As I admired the bear's problem solving skills, Josh went running out the door banging 2 cooking pots together. The bear shuffled off, hiding behind a car across the street. He poked his nose around to see if he could continue his quest for food in preparation for winter. Josh started banging again, and the bear ran down the hill, scared and disappointed.
My landlord came running down to see what all the ruckus was about. That was when I got the low-down (more like warning) on bear activity in our neighborhood. Garbage cans must be locked because bears will get into them (which results in a $250 fine), doors with outdoor handles must be locked because bears know how to push them down and open the door, and you have to be loud and obnoxious to scare them away. Josh gave a great demonstration as to black bear behavior when they are agitated and angry, explaining when to know to quietly back off. I left that conversation a little uneasy, requesting a care package with a head lamp and bear bells from home ASAP.
I don't think I have been so close to a bear before. We may have been separated by a very strong wall, but he was 15 feet away! That started my day off just right, a quick wake up and excitement!
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