Salamanders & Bears

Yesterday we attended a program called Slimy Salamanders. The kids got to hunt for and catch salamanders, identify them, weigh & measure them, and then release them. They used bags to catch the salamanders so none of them would get hurt. Tyler wasn't feeling well, so after he bagged a crayfish, he decided to be done. Danielle and I worked together and caught 6 salamanders. She caught a couple spotted salamanders, a black bellied salamander and a couple seal salamanders. We saw a big one but he was too fast for us. We got very dirty and the humidity was almost unbearable, but we had a lot of fun!

Yesterday late afternoon we drove the Caves Code Loop. We saw wild turkies, lots of deer, a snake, and finally a BEAR! The bear was still very young but was by himself. We kept watching for his mom but never saw her. The bear crossed the road just a couple cars in front of us, so we were able to see him quite well. He sat at the edge of the road and munched on the leaves of a bush. He was very cute & fuzzy, and we had to remind ourselves that he was a wild animal. Supposedly there was a momma bear & 3 cubs roaming around, too, but we never saw them. We felt VERY lucky to finally see a black bear in the Smokies!