Alright, I have seen it all now. I was driving home on Route 7 from Sterling to Ashburn, Virginia and stopped at a stoplight near the George Washington University Campus in Ashburn. I noticed the car in front of me looking to their left and pointing so I looked over. There was a small bear about 3' tall on the side of the road that looked like it was going to cross the road. Luckily it didn't because cars were coming the other direction. Instead, it turned around and crawled through the fence and into the woods like a small child. I couldn't believe it. I have seen a lot of things on Route 7 like deer, fox and other small animals but never ever a bear. I have even been to Yellowstone Park and never saw a real bear. I called the police because I wasn't sure what to do and told them I was on Route 7 traveling from Sterling to Ashburn and they interrupted me and said "are you calling about the bear?" Apparently, a lot of people had called them. Then, I proceeded to call my husband and anyone else I could think of to tell them about my bear sighting. People are still amazed when I tell them because most people have never seen a real bear and certainly not in Ashburn, Virginia.
We are in NJ and we will send out all you want! Assuming it was a black bear....They are huge and walking around in broad daylight. They figured out the bear proof garbage cans, they put a ban on the hunt! One came up my front steps at 10 am......did not try to break in, but we were ready!!!!! There was one in Orlando Fl not too long ago and they are showing up in places that they never did before. We are totally overun with them and the minute the food supply is not there, we are going to have big, big problems!
Wildlife can be amazing to watch. We recently had a bear captured just a couple blocks over and relocated out into the Everglades.
Sean Allen
Thanks for your comments. It is so funny. I have seen deer in front of my house at 10:00 am and I feel like I live in a forest. We even had raccoons in our attic but I have never seen a bear. I guess I have seen alligators from a distance in Florida or South Carolina but never have I seen a bear here. I can guarantee you that most people in Northern Virginia have not seen bear. Deer, yes but bear no.
THis is why I carry my camera with me every where. You just don't know what you are going to see along the road. We used to have bears around Springfield all the time when I was a kid. Of course that was also when dinasaurs roamed the earth :-)
I used to see them when I lived in Boulder. I remember once a neighbor had one sitting on her front porch! Fortunately, the black bears are vegetarians. How fun that you saw one!
I'm like Cindy and always carry a camera just in case. Would be thrilled to see one live.
Comments(6)