Bears in Pontiac?! Oh my!

I went for a walk early this morning, and as I strolled along deserted Highway W, I enjoyed the unusually cool air and warm sunshine as it peeked up over the hills. I only met one car - no one else appeared to be stirring yet. And just as I thought to myself, "Boy, I could get used to this," I stopped suddenly in my tracks. A BEAR.

No, no, I didn't actually see a bear. But, I suddenly remembered there have been two - count them, TWO - bear sightings this summer in Pontiac. One was maybe a hundred yards from our house, and that one was a cub. The other (and I saw pictures of this one) a big, huge, GIANT bear spotted just a few miles up Highway W.

What does this have to do with me and my walk this morning? Well, as you might imagine, my imagination began to run wild. What would I do if I saw one while I was out and about alllll by myself? I shouldn't run. I know that. Bears are fast, and I am sloooooow. Should I play dead? I've always heard you're supposed to play dead if you see a bear. So, what, just throw myself in the ditch and pretend to be dead? Yeah, okay, I can do that.

Wait, what would I do if he decided to come over and 'sniff' around me anyway? Would I really be able to lie still? It's sort of like being out on the boat and having bumble bees the size of small birds fly around me and Matt and Gabe telling me to just "sit still, it won't sting you if you don't move." HA! Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen. Of course, I always flail my arms and scream and end up jumping in the lake to escape said bees.

No, I don't think I should try to play dead. I think the bear would figure out I was only 'playing.'

And then I started eyeing the ditches along Highway W, which, by the way, have been neglected by the state lately. The grass is at least two feet tall, and some of the weeds would probably reach my waist! So, I'm supposed to throw myself into that?? With all the snakes, spiders and other critters that are surely lurking in there?? Huh, yeah, I don't THINK so.

So, I'm back to option No. 1: RUN. I could run to the nearest house and bang on the door. What if no one is home? Could I break down the door and call someone? Naturally, I left my cell phone at home, and what if their phone doesn't work? I'd be stuck in someone else's house (probably with NO air conditioning) with a HUMONGOUS bear standing outside the door, forcing me to stay barricaded inside FOREVER.

Okay, I'll play dead, force myself to lie still, and PRAY the snakes aren't moving around yet. Sure, that'll work just fine.

And now the sunshine that I thought was so glorious a few minutes ago is starting to play tricks on me. Every shadow I see out of the corner of my eye is a GIANT bear. Eeeeeeeek! What was THAT? Oh, whew, just a squirrel. Wait a minute, if a squirrel can create that much racket, how horrendous would a huge bear sound as it clambered about in the woods? Or, worse... maybe he'd be stealthy and sneak up behind me and lay one of his island-size paws on my shoulder.

And then suddenly I topped the hill just past Pontiac Lodge and could see the marina entrance to my right and my driveway straight ahead to the left. I made it. I survived my morning walk without seeing a 15-foot-tall bear (because that's how big the bears are in Pontiac). Perhaps tomorrow I should take a can of pepper spray.