Bear cub

Heh. We've been seeing more bears in our area of the Sierra (around Lake Tahoe mostly) in recent years--as I remarked above, they're even spontaneously recolonizing their historic range in the Great Basin. Of course, you don't want to get _too_ blase, but they've always just skedaddled on sight. The recommendation is to make lots of noise, because the thing you _really_ don't want to do is catch them unawares. The other week we were hiking down the trail above Fallen Leaf Lake, on the southwest side of Tahoe, and a young couple that had just passed us came hightailing back saying there was a bear just off the trail. We said let's just all hike together and make lots of noise--and sure enough, the bear skedaddled. It was an unusual sighting because you don't usually find them around popular trails. They avoid people--which, of course, is what's desirable. They get dangerous when they start perceiving humans as sources of goodies rather than threats! The big problem is well-meaning but clueless people leaving food out for them.

It would have been a bad time to have had a burning desire to relieve yourself!!
Super shot indeed!

BEAUTIFUL !

Thanks, Andy! I'd've driven on!