Name Day Fun Part 2

Wednesday we headed out in the evening for our Name Day trip...Maarit wanted to see Bears so we visited the American Bear Society's Bear Sanctuary in Orr, MN. This sanctuary was developed because an old logger began feeding bears (rather than shooting them for breaking into his cabins and stealing food). After he passed away his friends formed the society and continued feeding the bears in a 2 acre site. They admit that this is not a good thing....but that they are sustaining a problem that was already created. I can see that...these bears are very used to being fed because they've been fed for years and years....it's a sticky situation ethically, but we went to see them anyway. The bears are all wild, people view them from an elevated deck and workers go around through the area and feed them....no fences or anything like that, just a bunch of bears who have come to know this small little area as a place to get the good stuff.

Maarit had her first bus ride out to the bear area. She loved, loved, loved riding the bus!



There were 3 baby bears in a tree right next to the viewing deck...horribly, horribly, horribly cute. We had a ton of fun watching them play.
A big fat guy at his own table.
This bear was sitting on the steps leading to the deck, he reminded me of a dog. They are very curious creatures!
Another baby, just hanging out.

Obviously I kind of fell in love with the baby bears. They were way too much. This is a place that Nicole Johnson needs to go. She will love it!
A shot of a worker feeding the bears.
And the huge guy who was following her.
Little baby girl bear...
We had a lot of fun. I was very glad that we went to visit the bears. Maarit very much enjoyed it and she could see them so well and run around the deck. There must have been 20-25 bears all around. It was kind of amazing.