That moment when you’re driving your Tin Can up a steep incline and something darts across the road. Was it a dog? No. A cat? Um, that would be a big cat. Could it be? No… That’s a yes, it was a freakin’ bear! We haven’t quite set out on our Tin Can Plan yet so this is a throwback post to when we did take a short two-week road trip around the Southeastern United States in our old Airstream Globetrotter.
The bear sighting happened in a North Carolina RV park/campground that is one of the most beautiful places we have camped. If you ever find yourself near Goldview Knob, you should definitely check out Campfire Lodgings. It is about ten minutes north of Asheville, North Carolina. With 100 acres of woods and numerous trails, Campfire Lodgings offers a variety of mountain lodging possibilities, from RV and Tent sites, to fully furnished Yurts, Cabins, and a Cliff House.
The home of the bear.
Now, back to this bear. We saw the bear as we were doing the climb up the hill to the campground. It (or they…) darted across the roadway, on the hunt! To be honest, it was probably for a stash of grilled cheese or those little cheese filled hotdogs we seem to encounter at every campground but by the speed of his dash, he must have been hungry!
We moved slowly and parked the Airstream, hopped out and this is what we saw.
The view from above.
Of course, the first thing you should do is NOT GO FOR A FREAKIN’ WALK. But, not two minutes after we saw the bear, here we were, just strolling through his living room. Hey, I’ve got a pocket knife here, I’ll be fine… Right?
For the fact checkers, here are common causes of attacks while hiking:
- Not making sufficient noise.
- Approaching or surprising an animal at close range.
- Getting close to a carcass or other food source.
- Startling a female bear with cubs.
- Hiking off trail or at night.
OK, so I guess I shouldn’t have grabbed that piece of deer gut, played with it and dropped on myself while hiking at night and moving very slowly and quietly up to the super cute bear cub? I mean, really, come on, have you ever seen a bear cub? SO CUTE.
A cute bear whose Mom will probably eat your face.
Luckily, we never saw that bear again or even cubs, and we camped here for a few days. There were a few signs warning you of their presence and the trashcans are bear-proofed so if you do get to this area, follow the rules above. This is a beautiful campground and we hope to make it back. Sans bear.
The 1966 Airstream Globetrotter parked in bear country.