Cheney Lake and the Four Bears

 I’m leading with the bears because, wow, right?

We met our friend Arleta for a walk around Cheney Lake.  She had told us that mom bear and her three cubs had summered around the lake and were seen in people’s yards fairly frequently.  We passed a walker on the trail who warned us to be careful, the bears were up ahead, off the trail in the neighborhood.  We heard dogs barking and a man shouting “go away, get out of here.”  Arleta had us stay put while she ventured up the little hill with her bear spray.  And there they were. The above picture was taken with a zoom, of course, and we felt comfortably distant until mom noticed us and gave us a hard mama bear stare and lifted one paw.  At that point, there were about eight of us watching, and we all started back down the trail, frequently looking over our shoulders.  “Walk, don’t run,” one man cautioned.  We didn’t want her to chase us.  Never run from a bear, we’ve learned.  They can outrun you.  Mom did bring the cubs down to the path, but she led them across the path toward the water, not toward us.  It was more cool than scary, but a little bit scary.

In summer Cheney Lake has plenty of ducks and usually at least one pair of Trumpeter Swans.  Trumpeter Swans are our largest native waterfowl and the biggest swans in the world, stretching over 6 feet in length and are around 25 pounds.  They migrate south to ice-free waters in the fall, and most are gone now.  Sally has seen them, but I haven’t.  They mate for life, which is sweet.

Cheney Lake freezes hard in winter, Arleta said.  The city will drive trucks onto the lake, blow off the snow, spray water on the ice then smooth it out for ice skating.  We heard that is done at the University Lake and others as well.  I don’t know if we’ll skate, it’s been a long time and I’ve already broken one arm this year, but it sounds like a fun atmosphere and I’m sure we’ll check it out.

And speaking of check things out, look at me dressed for zero degrees weather when it’s only in the high 30s.  I have multiple layers, my snow pants, my long underwear, my new boots, ear warmers and my second-to-the-warmest winter jacket.  That’s my Fanny pack bulging out in front, not me.  I look a sight, but I was warm the whole time.  

Beside me is Arleta, our new friend.  She’s originally from Pulaski VA but has lived here over 40 years.  She saw our VA license plates and struck up a conversation.  We’re so glad she did!