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Bear necessities 

So we are off on the move again. Typically we arrive at the ferry point 5 minutes after the 8am departs. No. We haven’t missed it we are 55 minutes early for the next. We like to be early. This time there is a need. If we can’t get on the 9am we will have to wait until 10 and that will make the journey to the sea plane tight. Once we get to the other side we have a 2hr 40 drive. Great. 


So we are one of the firsts on the ferry. And one of the first off. So we head off north on highway 19. A nice road. Interesting for the first half hour. But then more of the same. Beauty all the way. 

So we arrive at the seaplane port. It’s chucking it down. The seaplane we are going on is departing from the airport. ? 


Apparently it’s one that lands on its belly. In the water. ( sounds like me diving). It’s one of only 3 surviving. Excuse me. Why? A 1944 Grumman goose. Wasn’t that a war plane?   The airport is a short drive away. I ask myself why did I agree to a seaplane. Usually I only fly where there is duty free. A trolley service with drinks. Looking at this plane you wouldn’t get a trolley on it. 
It seats 8 one of the seats is with the pilot. Thanks but no thanks. I don’t want to look ahead and both sides. One window is enough for me. The plane is small – getting in what stands for a door is challenging. Gawd knows about getting out. It’s still chucking it down. And I mean. Chucking it down. And we are off. Rattling around like a sardine tin. . Noisy. Scary. But do you know what. Actually not as bad as I thought. We land in the estuary easily at the lodge which will be home for 3 nights. With 15 other people. None of whom we know. Yet. Some we will like more than others. Well me really. Ian’s pretty non plus. I have likes and dislikes. 


I don’t know how Ian finds them. But this place is stunningly beautiful. Silent. ( once the plane departs) – restful charming.no social media. No wifi. No mobile signal. No tv. So we will have to talk. To each other. To the other guests to the staff. To ourselves.  Welcomed by Marg and her team we are instantly sat down to eat. I’ll say it now in case I forget. An amazing team of guides and staff. Informative. Friendly. Helpful. All different in personality but all passionate. About the wildlife and conservation. So – A fantastic meal of salmon. Fabulous salad. But no time for dessert. Why! Because we need to drive for 40 mins in what looks like a school bus out of Fame. Or Glee.  No leg warmers. Just thermals.  

the guides.
the buses. yellow is best .

We are off to view Bears. Based on our whale watching tour I’m not hopeful. Yes. The lodge is called Great Bear Lodge. But who knows. We may see one. We may not. So a drive along a rickety road. There was logging here in the 60s  and 70s and the road is a throwback to then. Today. Nothing but the Great Bear Lodge sits in the inlet. On the water. Maintained by the lodge it’s used to get to the bear viewing  points. And for nothing else. 

We are fully instructed by the team. Bear rules. Do not go off the pontoon alone. Ever. Only with a guide. Be quiet in the hide. Sit down. Don’t panic. A bear may just casually walk past. If your quiet he. Or she will ignore you.  No flash. As in camera. Not as in flashing. That’s a different bare holiday. 

insode the hide. bear watching

For the second time today I am left speechless. Yes. I know. Something I’m not known for. . But there are bears. And more than one. Seems here we are on a lucky spree. Our first night out and we see Grizzly Bears. Fishing. Wandering. Being swept along on the current past out hide. Noshing on big fat salmon. Just being well. Bears. Ian has a great video or two Of the Bears which I will put in Facebook when we are back. 

floating past


Great big animals with huge claws. But looking amazing. So we sit for over 2 hours watching them. Little do they know  we wil be back tomorrow. Big bears. Smaller bears. Grizzlies trying to catch food. Big fat chump salmon flapping around like their lives depend on it. Which they do. Bears Scoffing it and leaving the scraps for the bald eagles hovering above. Did I mention bald eagles. There’s loads. Young ones yet to have the white heads. Mature ones. When you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. We age a serious twitcher with us who is waxing lyrical about what he’s seeing. Quietly of course.  A retired couple who return back and wrote their journals in red pen. In longhand with seriously small writing.  Pages and pages. Of minute detail. 

I am in awe. Tired but in awe. Sitting for 2 hours perfectly quiet. Waiting for photo opportunities. Getting them. Worth getting a sore a–e definitely. 

The lodge is heaven. Warm cookies every time you return magicked out of thin air. Midnight feasts.wine. Beer. Hot chocolate.  Except it’s 9pm and most of us are ready for bed knowing we get an alarm call at 7. Out at 8. But not before we find out about the other 14 people staying.

Every group has a picture board on the wall. Ian’s a bit worried that he looks like a cross dresser. He’s not and he gets away with his blue suede shoes here too. There are people –   From Chile. From Oz. From Cardiff. Hello. Cardiff?. – yep and they attend the church where my parents were married. st Marys Whitchirch. They know my old haunts. Well the ones I can mention. Best keep some to myself. I’ve told you before. My mother. She’s keeping an eye on me even now. Theres. A group of 4. Two from Oz. Two from the uk. The girls- lifelong friends on a trip to celebrate a big birthday. One with an 0 in it. There’s a man from Moscow with a huge camera lens. Now I know people say size doesn’t matter. Trust me I had serious lens envy. Size matters a lot. Particularly If your lens is smaller. Much smaller. Mine was. 

We ate. We went out for nature walks. . Into the rain forest along the bear highway.  One guide at the front. One in the middle. On at the rear. Each with bear spray.  I don’t know what it smelt like. We didn’t need it. We saw where they rubbed themselves against the trees. We saw the bear wallow. Where the big fat males took a mud bath. 

into the woods



Do you know what. Bears actually do s–t in the woods. It was pointed out. We were told what they had eaten. Berries. Crab apples. They had had a scatologist visit. What a s–t job that must be. 

Marcus showed us banana slugs. If you’ve had a slug problem with your dahlias this year then you won’t appreciate these. Big fat ugly slugs with anaesthetic properties. . Oh and we learnt about the sexual pursuits of the slug. And the biting off of their dangly bits. I’ll remember that when I’m on slug watch back home. But I’m not biting. 


We went bear watching. We sat in covered hides. But the best night/morning  was sat on an open platform. Where bears passed all around us. Where a bear came within 6 feet of me. Right in front. So close  he could have put out his paw and touched my leg. But thankfully. Didn’t. And I didn’t need clean pants. Honest. Any closer I just may have. They were in my bag. But he stood and looked. We didn’t exchange pleasantries or swop numbers. But he let me take his picture. 

The guides were awesome. Marg. Allie. Sarah and Marcus. Calm. Vigilant. Talking to the Bears in quiet tones to move them on. No quick gestures. No arm waving. Awesome. Next day a different open platform. A different bear so close you could smell her. It’s also true that bears s–t in the river. Right next to you. Another beautiful wild creature. 



They were catching salmon. Strolling along the banks. Apparently bears are lazy. They walk the route of least resistance. That sounds familiar. Me too. Not catching salmon. I’ve said before. If I want fish there are shops. 


At the end of a long day and a day of big camera lens waving – and I mean big lenses – you  know what they say about men with big lenses. Big egos. I’d second that. It Was amusing to watch the dash for the best photo spot. The first bus. Out comes the tripod. The camera. Lenses. By which time the Bears have popped up. Waved  and b—d off. Whilst us tiddlers  have pointed the camera and shot the picture –  given it our number and said see you tomorrow. 


So the group of people were as diverse as the Bears. Some people you meet who you agree to keep in touch. And others you know you won’t. Others you know you will. People from Oz who say ‘ if your visiting ‘ and you know that when we go to Brisbane we will drive the 1.5 hours to say hello. People you know you will never see again. – but one thing I will see again is the Bears and the Great Bear Lodge. Like their cookies. One taste is not enough. And both Aloson and I got a birthday cake each. We didn’t eat it all ourselves. We dos share them. Just. 

We went out in the row boat. Still peaceful estuary. We got to dress up. On the river waterproofs. For the bear watching big puffa jackets. Not puff jackets which she pronounced poofy jackets. Right for two though. 


I could never wear a hat and look fashionable. Or could I? 





But 3 nights goes quickly and we are off as quickly as we arrived but all  agreed we had an amazing few days. Action packed. Fun. And educational too. 

Oh. And I lied at the start. Even though I’d packed those pants in my pocket and never wanted a view from three sides. I sat in the cockpit of the seaplane for the flight back. It was my birthday so I got the seat and it was fantastic. Especially as the man with the big lens wanted it! 


More pics on Instagram Pitcombe123

Posted on by happyretiredblog

The start of an awfully big adventure. 

So we have left the city and arrived off the mainland.  Today starts a week of whale and bear trips. So. Up at 6 to be ready for breakfast at 7. At the pier at 7.45 to kit up ready for the off. It’s absolutely chucked it down all night but there’s a bit of a lull as we go and get kitted up. 

It ain’t attractive – for starters I look like the Michelin man. And that’s before I start. When my mother went into her nursing home after a fall I went into see her straight off a flight as we had been on holiday. ‘Help Mum’ i said. My dad ‘ you know who this is don’t you’ she looked At me carefully. ‘ I have no idea but who ever you are you need to lose some weight.’ That’s Alzheimer’s for you. She never recognised me again. She wouldn’t have today for sure.  I digress – as usual it’s my mothers fault. It usually is. 


Here you go. Guide  insists you also need a fishermans mac. Gloves. And a hat. All to add to what you have already. I think an XL raincoat. Your having a laugh young man. Try triple X – I want to breathe as well as be able to move  my arms. 


So. We are all sat in the boat. Well it’s a dinghy really. Sits 8 and the guide who is driving? The thing. He starts on his outline. ‘Excuse me’ a shrill voice says. Can I use the bathroom. Use the bathroom!  You only left your hotel 5 mins ago. And got dressed up the same as the rest of us. Now you want the loo. God help you. You’ll have to peel off the layers. If you can actually fit in the cubicle. She apparently did as eventually she was back. And we were off 

To say it was wet was an understatement. It chucked it down. Between the mist and the rain you couldn’t see the person in front of you. Find whales. I couldn’t even find the head of the person in front. 


There were breaks in the rain. Few and far between. We circled for hours. Rain lashing at your face – I didn’t know why we were given goggles. Until you got hit in the face  with driving rain. I’m on holiday for gawd sake. I need sunshine – I have to top up my farmers tan. 

We were wirelessed. There had been a sighting of killer/orcas whales that morning. So off we went. Another hour in the rain. Skirting the shoreline. Still no whales. We stopped near the shore watching a couple of bald eagles circling overhead. That’s when I could lift it. Between goggles. A hat. My camera stuffed in my boiler suit. 


Look over there the guide said. There’s a grizzly bear on the grass. Ian saw it through binoculars. Good buy that. Then there were two. B—/-r this – I whipped the camera out and took some photos. In the rain. Not great as we were a fair way off but cropped and lightened you can see it’s a grizzly. Apparently 3 years old. Ish. I don’t know how he could tell. I suspect he was nether at the birth or is a Godparent. 

Excited to see a grizzly in the wild. Was I. Do bears …… We are off to Great Bear Losge  tomorrow for 4 nights and I’ve already seen two. But no whales. So off we go again. In the rain. 


We are not twins. We don’t dress alike honest. But today we have. We will not win any fashion awards for this either. I’m too embarrassed to show our faces. 


A shrill voice again ‘excuse me’. I need a toilet stop. Woman. You had one when we started. We are in the middle of open water. Your in a boiler suit. With a fishermans mac. ‘Hang on’says the guide. ‘Here’s a bucket and the back of the dinghy’  Full marks tho – somehow she did it. Round of applause for the lady. ‘It’s alright for you men’ she said. ‘With those useful things of yours’. Huh. Useful?  It’s not a bottle opener. ‘We’d have to find it under all this gear ‘  a smart Alec  replied. Speak for yourself I thought – though he was right. Im not even going to try. 


We were close to the shoreline and looking at waterfalls. Great – Move on thought Ian. Where are the whales. 

I need to go to specsavers. I thought the sign said big boy Stuart bay  and this is where we eventually stop for lunch. Still no whales. No big boys either. I’m grateful for thermals. 

Getting off the dinghy was a scene from the generation game. Who could Look the most stupid exiting  the boat. First off was the woman with the shrill voice. What did you say the number was for the toilet. Guide gave her two different codes. She sprinted up the ramp. She was still trying to enter the wrong code as we all reached the top.  She had entered the code too many times and she had locked it. But she went. Twice. Only after she’d done a dance. Well a jig.  Still no whales. 

Bald eagles yes. Whales no. 


Weather gear hoisted back up. Zipped up. Hats on. Goggles on. We set off again. But it was sunny. Hurrah. But still no whales. We saw sea lions. Big things sea lions. Hunting for salmon. Not the tinned  stuff. Fresh. Plentiful. 

Harbour seals basking in the sun disguising themselves on the rocks. 


But still no whales. So we headed back. Looking at whirlpools on the way. Scary. Fascinating. 35mph. Bumpy. Windy. But I feel asleep. I don’t know how. But I did. 

Back on dry ground. Walking funny. It was s good day. Sea lions. Seals. Bald eagles. And two Grizzlies.but no whales.  Tomorrow is another day. And a 2.5 hr drive.