Bear must pay the ulitmate price....

Via Facebook, my brother that lives in Cody, Wyoming has provided articles from the Billings Gazette about a recent 'Grizzly Bear' Mauling that took place about 30 miles East of Cody and about 10 miles or so outside the East gate of Yellowstone Park.

Apparently wildlife officials had trapped this bear a day earlier to take blood samples, etc and fit it with a radio collar for tracking movements. Kind of the on-going research to study these great animals. This particular drainage had been posted to stay out of for the research stuff but apparently a 70 year old retired college professor didn't see the warnings and ended up dying from a mauling attack. This fella had recently published a book that did extensive documenting of the fauna in/around the Yellowstone area so he knew his research and knew of Bears, etc.

By Saturday, the Feds had tracked the bear down via the collar and terminated it then magically have been able to get quick results of the DNA samples of the bear and some DNA left on the man that match this bear. Does CSI work this fast or is it just on TV?

Anyway, probably to save a major lawsuit they killed the bear. They will probably get sued anyway as that is the American way so the widow will live in better comfort than she may already be. Sorry, I don't feel much sympathy for the man. Yes his family has lost a wonderful member of their family, but when you are out there (I have been several times) you watch what you do and know the price you may have to pay if you are careless. This man was careless and in the wrong place at the wrong time.

RIP Mr. Grizzly!

Tim

The photo is from summer 2008 of a grizzly in Yellowstone Park.

Telephone Man

I was browsing through some older shots from earlier this year and came upon this photo of a phone booth in Mill City, Oregon. We pass through this little hamlet when going to HooDoo or to the Cascades, Bend, etc.

I think my family was inside what is known as a convenience store up there but nothing like the 7-Eleven's of the world, still has the basics.

I was out stretching my legs after snowboarding and skiing that day and was across the highway when I was just struck by this phone booth sitting there in a vacant lot. I don't even know if there is a phone inside of it and if so does it work? With just about everyone having a cell phone or knowing someone who does it seemed kind of a "throwback" to days gone by. I think the last time I used one they cost about 35 cents to start the local call.

We used them quite a bit back in the military to make collect calls back to home and things like that but overall a relic of the past. Speaking of that, there is quite a bit of relics of the past in the Mill City area. It once was probably pretty thriving with lumber milling but not so much anymore.

So if you are ever passing through and need the phone, hope this one will work for you!

Tim