Finally - a bear!

Yes, it's true. We finally sighted our first bear in Ketchikan. (We suspect there may be one coming down through the back woods, across our deck, along the side yard to the neighbor's trash can across the street the night before trash day, but we haven't caught him yet.)

Last night after dinner at the galley, we drove down to Herring Cove, about 8 miles south of town. It was low tide - a must for bear sightings, as they come down to the water to fish. It certainly was low tide, as parts of the river bed were visible. Quite a few fishermen in waders stood on exposed sandbars trying their luck. The area was dotted with sea gulls who were also fishing for salmon. Their raucous squawking filled the air. And then, in the distance, Gates spotted the moving ball of black fur. It seemed to be more than a football field away, so it was hard to discern - but it was indeed a bear. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera, so I'll have to return when low tide is in the daytime so I can photograph it.

So, even though it was a bear, I don't feel like it truly counts because I didn't get a picture of it and it was so far away. Stay tuned!

PS - I just added this photo - I didn't take it, Lisa Thompson did for an online newspaper called SitNews which stands for Stories in the News. It is a great source of information about Alaska as well as Ketchikan. When I saw this photo, I had to add it to the blog since it was taken right where we were!