Bears Everywhere!

On May 14th, I travelled once again to La Loche, a small northern community located on the west side of the province. At this time of year the bears are out in full force, especially south of Buffalo Narrows. On my way up to La Loche, I was able to quickly snap a picture of a sow and her four cubs running in full retreat back into the bush.

After spending most of four days in La Loche sick with some wretched stomach bug, I caught some more bears along the road. One of them, a big boar, paid no attention to me as I pulled alongside him. Since he was content to munch up the grass salad of the day, I rolled my window down and took a few shots. I really do need a longer lense for these kinds of shots, but one must balance the fuss associated with bigger cameras against time available for the shot. A camera with a big barrel is not the fastest draw in the west!

A couple of hours later, while driving a wild road across from Beauval, I caught sight of three cubs frolicking beside the road. I had just enough time to pull my camera out and capture a few shots of this curious fellow. After he realized his friends had already split the scene, he too turned tail and ran off into the woods.

Bear sighting . . .

About 3 hours into my 5 hour drive to La Loche, I met this big fellow along the road. As I pulled over he retreated into the brush a bit and watched me watching him. This is the first bear of the season for me. Last year around this time, and in the same area I sighted a number of bears on different occasions. As I pulled away, he sauntered across the road, giving rise to the eternal question - why did the bear cross the road?

Spring Fever!

Some people just can't wait to hit the water!

Someone in the sauce last night ended up in the drink, literally. The Montreal River bridge is always an interesting part of our short drive into La Ronge, and I've seen many interesting things there, but this is the first time I've seen a car in the river. Due to some fairly active rapids, the Montreal is always open at this point. Come Spring, the strong current here quickly pushes ice cover on Lac La Ronge back past Kitsaki Island and opens another arena of activity that heralds the soon return of Summer.

First Beaver of the Season Sighted!

Last Sunday, the first Beaver of the season was sighted on the lake. And you thought I was talking about a furry little buck-tooth icon of Canadiana, weren't you. Well, the Beaver I'm talking is a Canadian icon, but it can fly and has quite a roar. In times past, there was a bit of a competition among flyers to see who would be the first to take-off and land on the first bit of open water released from icy bondage. In the background, just beyond Kitsaki Island, you can see that most of Lac La Ronge is still covered in ice, white against a green forest and blue sky. This Beaver has just left the water, on its way to deliver supplies to fish camps preparing for their busiest time of year.