ELK, BIKERS AND BEARS - OH MY!

It was early evening, we were hungry by now, and grateful that the restaurant next to our lodging was still open.  Furnished with definite “lodge look decor”, we enjoyed taking a look around at all the antlers and western decor.  The waitress was very pleasant, and we had a little “back and forth” joking with her.  We ordered our meals and started “debriefing” with each other regarding the day’s events.  

A few minutes later, two couples came in and were seated at the table directly next to ours.  They were wearing motorcycle leathers and bandanas, and the men’s bald heads and faces were bright red from sun and windburn, I assumed.  They were a bit loud, talking about their day’s adventures.  We might not have typically reached out to “bikers”, but it sounded like they’d had some cool experiences and we were interested in hearing about them.  David broke the ice with his usual “nothing to see around here, is there?”, and they all smiled, happy to have the chance to show us their pictures of elk, moose and magnificent scenery.  

We shared our story about the flat tire and the thunderstorm.  We all were laughing, retelling our stories and sharing our pictures on our phones when a man from the other side of the restaurant came over to ask if he could show us a picture he’d taken that day.  He’d been at Mammoth Hot Spring and saw a big bull elk laying in the sulfur rocks with a single ray of light coming down through the clouds and resting on him like a giant spotlight from heaven.  We all stared at the picture in amazement.  “OK, you win!” we all exclaimed!  It was a “once in a lifetime” picture, for sure.  He proudly went on to share it with the waitresses, too.

It was almost dark, but we just had to take one more short drive to catch the sun setting on the rocky hills.  The western sky is just so beautiful, we couldn’t get enough of it.

The next day we went to WalMart to get our new tire mounted on the truck.  Then we ventured back into Yellowstone National Park and spent the day in a “bison jam”, watching Pronghorn Antelope race along the meadows, and catching sight of some elk resting on a small gassy “island” in the creek.  The elk were enjoying their time away from annoying tourists and other park “residents”.  It was so much fun.

But our biggest surprise was coming.  Up ahead, on a two lane road that wound through the park we came upon a line of stopped vehicles, and some cars that had moved over into the grass along the road.  When we first pulled up on this scene, I remembered that I had made David promise that he wouldn’t get out of the vehicle to take pictures if there were grizzly bears around.  So it’s very ironic that it was ME who jumped out of the truck with my camera to find out what everyone was looking at.  I had assumed it was probably a moose, or elk, or MAYBE a black bear.  Crouching down, (as if that was going to help) I snuck past the vehicle in front of us to see if I could get a look at what everyone was so interested in.  To my surprise, on the other side of the road several cars ahead of us there were two grizzly bears just off the road rooting around under a couple downed trees and some rocks, looking for whatever they could find to eat.  They were seemingly oblivious to the small “city” of onlookers forming.  There was a motorcyclist in the front of the mob who had actually got off his motorcycle and set up a tripod not even 25 feet from the pair of bears.  

Recognizing that I was much too close for my safety (bears can run really fast when they want to!) I retreated to the safety of our truck, where I faced my husband’s questioning.  “What did you see, Connie?”  “Two grizzly bears - here’s the picture I was able to take!”  “Oh, grizzly bears, huh?  And you were out of the truck?”  I sheepishly had to admit that I had unintentionally broken my own rule…Lesson learned.  David didn’t hesitate to bring this up to our family and friends when we got back home, of course.  I had it coming, I know.

In the future we (meaning ME)  waited until we were near enough to view the wildlife from within our vehicle.  Sometimes bison get so close to your vehicle that it’s dangerous enough even from inside the vehicle, believe me!    Still, it was an adventure we loved, and a very fond memory we talk about frequently to whoever will listen.

Food for Thought

In Proverbs 22:3 (NIV translation) we’re told “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”  The Passion Translation says “A prudent person with insight foresees danger coming and prepares himself for it.  But the senseless rush blindly forward and suffer the consequences.”  

The word “prudent” can mean “discerning”, seeing things as God sees them.  In my story, I shared that I didn’t know what everyone was flocking to see - I didn’t know it was two grizzly bears until I was in a position to see the road ahead.  Fortunately, I saw them in time to retreat and take refuge in our truck.

But God knew, He could see them.  He can see our road ahead, and speaks to us through His written word, and through His quiet voice spoken deep in our hearts, if we will only listen and follow Him to refuge.

The best refuge is in God Himself.  Psalm 91:2,4 (TPT) tells us “He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me and my great confidence.  His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you.  You can run under his covering of majesty and hide.”  He promises to be with us in trouble, and deliver us, when we love Him and are loyal to His name.  

In these difficult days, when it can seem that danger is all around us, let’s choose to be prudent, learning to be discerning (seeing things the way God sees them), and let’s take shelter in the true refuge -  the Lord!