Memorial Day with friends and bears.

What a wonderful Memorial Day!  First of all, it was sunny and warm.  Strange how the further north we go, the warmer it seems to get!

Barb and Gary came over for coffee, just like they do when we're at home in Orange Park, and that was very nice.  We all piled into the cars and headed for the North American Bear Center, located in Ely.  We got to see and even visit with their "ambassador bears", Ted, Lucky, and Holly.  There were both  indoor and outdoor observation areas where we got to see the bears eating, playing, and doing enrichment activities.  Then we got to see them close-up on a behind-the-scenes tour. I was glad to see that, unlike  a zoo or roadside exhibit, these bears are given a natural 2 1/2 acre natural habitat in which to roam, feed, and hibernate.   The exhibits and videos in the Center were very interesting and informative, many of them based on knowledge gained from 12 research bears being studied in the wild around Ely.  I really enjoyed learning how bears, especially black bears, are so misrepresented in the media and in many public displays.

Ted, waiting for a snack.  

Ted loves people.  He was raised as a pet for years.  

Lucky and Holly get snacks too!

Ted

Ted's enrichment activity.  He has to figure out how to get the strawberries out of the holes .  

Ted's a big boy at about 550 pounds.  

In the afternoon Barb and I went shopping,  and she showed me around the town. Then back at the rigs we had a great Memorial Day cook-out with sausage dogs, burgers, and all the usual picnic accompaniments.   The weather was so nice that we were able to eat outside!

Enjoying our Memorial Day cook-out.