Clift Reunion "Go Away Bear"

THE BEAR STORY

The Stan Clift family grew up on camping in the summer. Sometimes at the beach, Sometimes in the mountains. We even got to the snow on occasions. What did you need to get there? Some sort of a vehicle...maybe even a Desert Rose (pink) station wagon.

National parks were a good place to go...Not so wild, full of people, and interesting things to look at. We had been to Yosemite. There are a lot of places to camp. Down in the valley is the main spot. Lots of camps, crowded together. They even house workers in the valley that play the radio all night. I disconnected their extension cord one night to get some sleep! But South the Yosemite is a place called Sequoia National park where are camp grounds by small creeks and streams. We decided to try one of them. The camping areas were spread out, with access to our cars. We picked one that was at the more or less end of the camp road. Next to the wilderness! And a nice stream that had lots of flat sloped rocks that you could slide down on. (And the girls had bathing suits to prove that holes develop in so doing)

Well, our camp was sort of flat so we could park our station wagon along side a picnic table. There was even a place to pitch a tent or two. Being gifted(?) In making stuff out of wood, plywood actually, the wagon had been equipped with a box that sat on the tail gate, Which was nice for traveling. It made more room for carrying things in the interior. And once on arrival at the camp it was hoisted out and placed on the end of the picnic table. A nice big brown box with a lock on a hinged top. Or, rather, side that opened up to form a preparation table. The box is still with us, you inspected it! And again in the morning, as it survived the night. Course the box contained food and such for cooking. Food is the main part of the story!

Night came, Dinner prepared and consumed, Tents pitched...One for the 2 boys by the side of the table, a larger tent for 2 girls and us away from the table. A bed was made in the back of the station wagon for the older girls. The camp was quiet with other cars a distance away. Sleep came, well almost. What is that noise outside? A Crash, and stuff that sounded like a trash can being rolled down a hill. That woke us up. We climbed into the truck and turned on the car head lights. What is that over there? It is a BEAR. I hollered at the boys to stay in the tent, they didn’t. The bear had pushed my nice box off the table and was rolling it down the hill in front of the car. My instinct was to tell the Bear to go back where it came from...So GO WAY BEAR I shouted. But did it? It was Glenda that started to push on the car’s horn button and wake up the camp ground...and all that noise finally induced the bear to give up it’s quest of breaking into our food box and to enjoy the contents...And it walked off into the night...The boys in the tent beside the PICNIC TABLE? Well if my memory serves me right they didn’t stay in the tent. I’m just glad that they didn’t have some good smelling food in the tent with them.

There are several morals to this story in those last two sentences Take note you young people!

Are there any BEARS around this part of the woods? Can you tell them what to do? Where should you pitch a tent? Where should your food be stored?

A P.S to the story. Due to the excellent packing by Glenda She found only one egg that had cracked in the Box’s 50 foot travel down the slope from the camp. And Thank Goodness the bear was not too hungry.

THE BEAR STORY as remembered by Grandpa Stan Clift and augmented by all of you.