Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:04:18 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: In Alaska, Bear Attacks Camper NVC
In-Reply-To: <f6ced62b7eec.4979c2bb@gci.net>
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I was in a helicopter with a fellow over on the back side of Kodiak
Island one time - flying along a beach on the Selikoff Strait, and we
clocked a big Kodiak Grizz running along the beach. We and the bear
stayed side by side for a few yards. Our calculated groundspeed was 55
mph. I do not want to be in a position to have to try and out run an
animal that big who can run that fast. No way.
On that same side of the Island I worked for Fish and Game and was at
the village of Karluk on the Karluk river. The illage was at the mouth
of the river, and was actually on both sides. A suspension bridge had
been built for pedestrian traffic to cross. One side of the river bank
3was very low - just above tide level, and the other was very high. If
feet up or so. So to get on the bridge on the low side one had to climb
steps. One up on the bridge, the other side was at ground level at the
top of the bank. One night the dogs just raised holy hell and the next
morning - a frosty morning, huge Kodiak Grizzily tracks were found in
the frost on the bridge. A big Grizz had crossed that bridge in the
night. That was why the dogs were upset. This was nearly forty years
ago, and things have changed. The old lagoon and the bridge are long
gone due to an incredible storm, but i have pictures of the way it was
in the old days.
Ah sweet memories! But I didn't know about Vanagons back then - or even
aircooled busses.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Mark Tuovinen wrote:
> Sounds like The Russian Rver Campground on the Kenai Peninsula. Those are the more dangerous bears as they are not afraid of humans. Every summer people are charged by bears there and more than one bear has been put down for being too agressive.
>
> Mark in AK
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Zolly <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
> Date: Friday, January 23, 2009 12:14 pm
> Subject: In Alaska, Bear Attacks Camper NVC
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
>
>> I was in Alaska with the wife and kids. The camp was next to the placewhere the grizzly bears were eating the salmon all day. They walked through the camp at night between the tents and motor homes and my van with the top up. And I slept on the top ... The wife was petrified of them. The family slept on the bottom bed. I was the bait. And they were huge. Once we had to stop the van because one of them was crossing the road about two yards in front. That small river was littered with half eaten salmons. They walked between the salmon and picked one out with their eye and chased until caught. This
>> happened just before their hibernation. Millions of huge salmons. The people were up on the river bank watching from a realtively safe distance of thirty yard. A ranger was there to take care of trouble.
>> Zoltan
>>
>>
>
>
>
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