Green Water, Black Bears

After traveling mostly in wild areas of Canada for a week, I finally got a good look at a bear today...less than a mile from the chic shops, restaurants, and condos of Whistler Village! There is a large park..actually untouched forest...in the middle of the village with many trails for hiking, biking, and jogging in summer, and cross country skiing and snowshoeing in winter. Right next to one of the most heavily traveled paths, I and a bunch of other folks found this bloke grazing in the berries. We had to move slowly and quietly past him, only about 25 feet away, to continue on the path. He snorted a bit when I took this pic but continued grazing. The bear and the rest of Whistler is stoked for the Winter Olympics, which begin in just six months!

A mountain lake northeast of Whistler, with fireweed.

The previous shot is a typical British Columbia scene, but this pic shows standard terrain in the southern interior of the province. Yes, sagebrush and ponderosa pines north of the 50th parallel! This is the Fraser River near Lillooet.

This is Nairn Falls, just north of Whistler. It cuts thru volcanic rock, sending milky light green water racing down a forest canyon.