Moose trying to avoid the grizzly in Denali…

Moose trying to avoid the grizzly in Denali…

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

This moose was what I saw first…it’s a bit agitated and on edge…probably because the bear is just up the way a bit and the moose certainly knows the bear is there…though, I was told, it would be unlikely that a grizzly could take an adult moose down.

Grizzly looking for food…

Grizzly looking for food…

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

No, there aren’t bear grocery stores…so, this bear is doing things the scavenger, gatherer thang…hopefully not looking for that moose on the road…doing the hunter thang!

Ah, the glorious valley in the background…

Ah, the glorious valley in the background…

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

Man, that was a good weekend! I’m glad we went. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth it. We’re additionally excited that we’ll be back when our buddies come up in exactly 2 weeks! Yeah!! Can’t wait.

My shuttle driver, Mona, was excellent and she promised that by the time we come back…WILDFLOWERS will be in bloom! I can’t wait!! I am just loving taking photos of flowers, rocks…those details of nature.

I need to get some courage to improve the wildlife photography, though. Animals in nature, I’m not so much convinced yet that I’m not going to be dinner. I also don’t want to intrude on their space…no need to butt my way into their peaceful life. (But that’s probably fear.)

Fear dictated Lana and I on our second night camping. We were awakened by a yelping, screaming around 1am. (It was still light out, by the way!) We weren’t sure what to do. Lana encountered a moose and her two babies earlier in the day…and luckily ushered Molly into the car to prevent any issue. So, we were a bit fearful during this middle of the night drama…again, though, Lana ushered Molly (and we joined her) to sleep through the rest of the night in our trusty Honda Element. Muy comfortable!

We’re still not sure what this noise was. It moved around and sounded at first like an unruly toddler screaming, but…it wasn’t that after we listened longer. It wasn’t rowdy party folks either…it was primal, animal. Whatever it was, I’m glad we safely escaped any finding out what it was, especially given that Molly’s bark instinct is strong…she barks first and has never actually learned to ask questions.