Be beary aware of Tahoe's furry neighbors

Eydie Scher wrote this blog of her bear sighting. If you’d like to write about a hair-raising experience send it to me at klarsen@rgj.com and I’ll post here. Thanks Eydie.

Our eyes locked. I was mesmerized. It took a few seconds to process what she was. I wasn't afraid at first. Then it hit me. I was facing down a good size brown bear. Could I outrun her on my bike? It was time to find out. Racing around the corner to my house, I glanced over my shoulder. No, she didn't follow me.

Who'd believe I just saw a brown bear? I needed proof. Get the camera. Get my husband. We took the car for safety concerns. Please let the camera work and let the bear be where I left her.

Yes, I have the proof. Along side of the bear was her adorable cub who I hadn't seen before. It's a good thing I guess. The shot missed the cub but got the momma bear, the camera shot, that is. We watched in awe as they trotted off, this time seemingly oblivious to our presence. Garbage remains strewn in their retreating path. I went back to the exact spot day after day hoping they'd return but they didn't.

Bears visit our street on a pretty regular basis. It must be the tasty tidbits we discard. Usually they come in the darkness of the early morning. The evidence of their strength and determination litters driveways. Only the newer bear-proof containers thwart them in their tracks. Nothing else is safe or beyond their amazingly strong grasp. The tasty trash is savored while bear bottles are left behind. Maybe they had a few drinks and left on the woozy side.

Everyone seems to have a bear story these days. At the beginning of our street is a historic log house. It is not immune to bears. One of the owners was startled when coming across a bear in close proximately. Laughing, she chided her husband for wearing a bear costume in the house and it wasn't even Halloween. Yikes, he didn't respond in a timely manner as she realized that this was NOT a human. She ran outside, never looking back at what the bear might do to the house. Luckily, this bear was not interested in home furnishings.

A woman at another location was in the shower when she heard loud noises coming from her kitchen downstairs. It was probably just her family. The noise intensified. No one answered when she called down. Finally, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where she came face to face with a huge bear that was dining in her pantry and on the uncooked turkey sitting on the counter. Her kids came running when she screamed. They banged pots and pans. Slowly, methodically, the bear walked out the front door with the turkey in its teeth.

Can you stand just one more story? A Tahoe resident had killed a deer and stocked packages of venison in his freezer in the garage. The bear picked the lock with ease, ate the entire contents of the freezer, over 200 lbs., and left the freezer and the garage in shambles.

Why are there so many more bear sightings lately? Perhaps it's due to the long, snowy winter we had. Or maybe they know that this is just a good area for home cooked or uncooked meals. Or maybe it's just our high class garbage!