Tag / bears

by kritterspaw

Grizzlies

We just returned from an amazing adventure north of Vancouver, where we spent a week among grizzly bears. It was great fun to observe their behaviors and personalities.

We saw WALKING BEARS

WADING BEARS

BOBBING BEARS

BABY BEARS

even DANCING BEARS

and BEACHED BEAR

and FISHING BEARS

The Chinook salmon that are born in the freshwater Chilko Lake, leave when they are small fry, not much more than 6″ long for broader horizons, as they swim downstream and into the ocean. They travel as far as Alaska over the next 2 years before making a loop and heading back to Chilko Lake where they spawn, laying their eggs.

The grizzlies come down off the mountain and fill up for the winter prior to hibernation, while the salmon come to lay their eggs and die. Many of the salmon are already dead and the bear walk around the lake on two feet to feel around for fish and spend the day getting their fill.

Mom teaches her COY (Cubs Of the Year) to fish and swim across the lake.

We got to know some of their habits, and had fun just watching their individual characteristics. After fishing for salmon their would shake their head and and rip off the salmon skin like it was a delicacy.

It was a tiring week, mentally and physically.

For more grizzly photos check out my post here … https://kritterspix.com/2024/10/20/always-learning/

by kritterspaw

Christmas in Vegas

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Last year we found ourselves in San Diego in December for a photography class. We loved the lights and decorations that were magical this time a year. They put us in the spirit and mood for the upcoming holiday celebrations. So this year we thought we’d give ourselves that treat again, and what better place than Las Vegas, NV. So many people noticeably grimace when we tell them we are going to Vegas. They just don’t see the allure that we do. Their common reaction is… we don’t gamble. Well, we don’t either. That’s not what we go for. The rooms are invariably cheap ($25 at Excalibur + $25 room fee), and the dinners range the gammit of what you want.. and want to pay.   We do enjoy the fancy restaurant experiences. Where else can you get all the French masters in one place… Daniel Boulud, Michel Richard, Alain Ducasse, Pierre Gagnaire, and Joel Robuchon, not to mention the American celebrity chefs like Mario Batali, Tom Colocchio, Bobby Flay, and Guy Fieri… still only naming a few? Undoubtedly Vegas restaurants are ghastly expensive… but these kind of masters aren’t cheap, anywhere. And they all have something we can learn from and get to take home, whether it’s the freshness or preparation, the courses or the presentations. It’s an experience we enjoy more than the cost of a show. We love to walk around and enjoy the over the top rotating decorations and the photography fodor it offers.

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We were anxious to see what Vegas had to offer for Christmas. They always have the changing decorations at Bellagio and Aria… but surely for the holiday they would be over the top Vegas style. Not! We were seriously disappointed. The decorations were as expected at Bellagio, fantastic and wonderful, but also predictable. Aria, instead of some eclectic oddity, had a simple Christmas tree. There were very little, if any, exterior decorations throughout Vegas. I guess the lights that Vegas holds are glittery enough. Hmmmph.

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We did enjoy wandering the strip as usual.  We had some nice dinners (see my restaurant reviews on my krittersmenu.com blog).  But next time we’ll try someplace else for Xmas decorations and lights.