We are in Bear Country

Well, folks things got a little dicey around here last night and this morning - people were reminded that we are in bear country - this is what a campsite looks like after a bear decides to go into your tent. He/she flattened two campsites last night. The people who owned the tents were not there - and we don't know if they had food or something in their tent or not (there wasn't any in them when we got there). He/she was interested in another tent but some people walking by scared it away. Anyway, we had to go around the campground several times today reminding people to keep food, dog food, even toothpaste in their cars or we would bring them a "bear box". Even the folks in our backpacking loop was visited by the bear this morning and they got some great pictures of him/her trying to get into the garbage can. (Of course, we never saw it today - so I don't have any pictures! Maybe another day). Anyway, it did make for an exciting morning!

This afternoon Dan decided that today would be a good day to go to the Last Chance Museum which is a museum dedicated to the gold rush era here in Juneau. Well, we drove out there along some really narrow roads that reminded us a lot of San Francisco. It really was a pretty section of old Juneau - small houses built on the sides of the cliff. I should have taken pictures, but I was trying to pay attention to the traffic - I don't think we could have gotten around some of the curves if we had meet any traffic - thank good we didn't! If we ride back up that way I'll be sure and take pictures for you.

Anyway, we get up to the museum and it was closed. Now, you have to walk up this very steep gravel path to get to the museum and then it was closed - oh well, that's okay - it gives us an excuse to go back up that way. It also was not a wasted trip. Along Gold Creek (where the museum is located) tour buses bring people to pan for gold - well, when we were leaving Dan and I walked over to see how they were doing. Now Dan gets talking to some of the people from the cruise ships and the tour guide and the next thing you know ---------------------

Dan is panning for gold. He did get some gold and we have it in a vial that you can see so you know that he really did find some. He got a kick out of it ( he talked about panning when we were at Unicoi, remember?) and he got to do somthing for nothing that those people on the cruise ship paid money to do. Only Dan could do that!

When we were coming back down the hillside we had to cross over this very narrow wooden bridge but the creek below was beautiful - I got this picture out the truck window when Dan stopped for about 30 seconds because he was afraid someone would come and hit us on this bridge. It all worked out and we will go back up there at another time to see if the museum is open.

Well, that was the extent of our day today - all the places that the bear went (except the backpacker's) have emptied out - they either threw away what was left of their tent or they packed it up and left. In my personal opinion, I wouldn't be camping in a tent in bear country - but then that's just me.

I hope that your day was productive and enjoyable. You guys take care and ---------------

I'll talk to you tomorrow!!!