IN 24 Hours - Part 3 / aka: Bear necessities

Now I had lived in mammoth for five winters and stayed the last three years thru the summer too. I was a “local” I knew the do’s and don’t of mountain living pretty well

 I pulled up to Mel’s house.  I could not have been happier to see Mel again.

And like two 14 year old girls we talked till the weee hours of the morning.

 So there are a few things you should know before I move on with this part of the story.

#1. I didn’t have a car when I lived in mammoth. I walked, road the bus, or I went with the old standard.

#2.  I sleep like nobody’s business! I snore Loud and I don’t hear anything.
Any time, Any where, I am a non partisan napper

 (not kidding this actually happend)

So after talking all night we each went to our rooms and I woke up late as always.

I went up stairs and my cooler was in the kitchen. How sweet! Mel must have brought it inside for me so that it would be waiting for me. Mel laughed and said” No! Ron brought in your cooler after the next door neighbors dog woke us up barking up a storm last night. 

We looked out the window and saw two BEARS in your car!

Ron scared them away and brought your cooler in”
#1st Thought:
There goes making a good impression on Ron. I suppose any traces of mammoth local in me are totally gone now. I know better than to leave food In the car! But honestly it had been so long since I had to think about bears it slipped my mind.

#2nd Thought:
And now seemingly more important. “Did they break a window?” i asked.
 No, Mel replied “you lucked out they were smart and opened the door!”

 I must have left it unlocked too!
 I went down to the car and sure enough, there was trash everywhere, and little chocolate soy-protein powdered bear prints on the seats and all over my stuff, but they had not damaged the car at all.

 If that was how the first day of my road trip went I was not holding out much hope at that point that I would survive let alone make it to Texas.