First I spotted a black bear on the side of the road. I took a few pics, but mostly stayed and watched him eat. He didn’t seem to mind me being there and just went about his business.
Further down the road, I came across some stone Sheep … their horns were much more narrower than the the BigHorns in southern Alberta. They spent a great deal of time licking the salt off the road.
I continued south back to km 700, Lake Muncho, and the lighting was great for landscape shots. The water was a beautiful jade color.
I had to stop for gas where I had been driving a little extra around the area. I stopped in a nice looking place and was shocked to see the gas at 1.95! No supper for me tonight. Hee! Hee! Hee!
I worked my way back from Lake Muncho and made a stop for a short hike to Mineral Lick Trails. It was a nice short walk, but I did not see any Stone Sheep on the cliffs region … they were all actually on the road. LOL
Working my way back I stopped to take some more photos of the Wood Buffalo. Got a few pics as they crossed in front of my truck. A guy stopped and told me of a black bear was out on the side of the road just a quarter a mile up. I drove up and sure enough, there it was. I took a few nice pics of it before it headed into the woods.
I drove passed Liard’s Hot Springs Provincial Park as far as Smith Falls. You drive in about 2.25km and you can see the beautiful falls from the road. I opted to take the hike [1.4km Easy-moderate] to get closer shots of the falls. To get down, there was a rope that you need to hold on as the ground was very slippery. You also have to go under trees and over trees, walk along the river edge and then walk through some thick brush, but it was worth it. Such a beautiful spot!
On my way back to the campsite, I passed a vehicle on the side of the road and was wondering what they were looking at. In my rearview mirror I saw a bear cross in front of the vehicle. I turned around and pulled over near the other vehicle. The black bear strolled right up to my passenger side door. I had to partially stand to take some pics, but it was too close! I have never had that problem before, where the bear was too close for pics. HaHaHa. Eventually it went down the ditch and I was able to get some nice shots of it.
I returned after 3pm to my campsite and had a little rest before making my way to the hot springs. What a great way to spend the afternoon.
Waiting for the wood to burn to have some hot dogs and a tuna macaroni salad I made. Damn, what a day!