Bearly an opportunity missed

While in new york state we had three near misses in having a close encounter with a black bear, one of which we didn`t manage to make the most of because we both suffered from  slight case of abject terror.

Our closest encounter was in Minewaska state park. Lindas daughter and son in law very kindly lent us their bikes and their jeep, so we set off to explore the park by bike. As i mentioned previously a lot of trail mantainance was going on in the park, hence the steam roller, this also meant there was an intermittent low rumbling of gravel trucks crossing the park.We cycled up the fire road until we came to  really nice cliff lookout were we had our packed lunch we then carried on up the mountain. When we started up the mountain again i decided to stop and look at the view on another rocky outcrop. As I propped up my bike I heard what i thought was the low rumble of the trucks. But then i heard it again a distinctive very low and very loud growl, like nothing I had heard before and certainly not the noise an elk or other ungulate would make. It was at this point i complety pooed myself, although aware black bears are not nearly as dangerous as the grizzly cousins we could not see where the noise was coming from and it certanly sounded very pissed off. We hurried it back to our bikes and agreed in stage whispers to carry on up the mountain with haste. It was only ten minutes later when the adrenaline wore off that we suddenly started to feel gutted that we might have missed an awesome opportunity to see a black bear after all it could have been on the ledge below and completely out of reach. On the way back down the mountain we revisted the spot but the bear had obviously moved on - gutted! . . . .( but safe)

When we went out for dinner at the uniquely decorated eggs nest restaurant Amelia, lindas daughter who lives opposite, told us that  while we were out in the morning  a bear had walked through the garden of the house we were staying at. This was maddening and made worse on the way home where we saw a truck pulled up - the driver had seen a bear duck into the woods just there. we went round the block and i went into the wood but the bear had gone............it seems the bears of new york state were not mad keen on us, lets hope bears on the west coast are more friendly, but not overly so!