My wife and I love going on hikes in nature. There is something very relaxing about being out in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the scenery together.

But there is one thing that terrifies me more than anything in the world.

Snakes?

Nope.

Not those unpleasant, unwanted creatures.

Yes, my day is ruined when I see a snake, but there is one thing that causes me more fear than any other.

My wife.

My beloved Charlene.

I am not kidding.

We live in an interesting and fascinating world. It is full of places to explore and filled with life in all shapes and sizes. It is only natural to want to see an animal in its habitat and watch it do its thing.

As we travelled, we checked things off our bucket list. One thing that had eluded us was seeing a bear. Despite all the places we have been, all the times we were in bear country, and even given cautionary advice when bears were in the area of campgrounds and hiking trails, these large creatures were nowhere to be seen. We were both starting to become perplexed and disheartened by their absence.

Then there was one day that excited Charlene to her core and caused me to have an incredible amount of fear. This one situation reinforced the deep-seated terror that I have for my wife and her safety.

“BEAR!”

Charlene screamed as we drove out of a campground where we stayed overnight in New York.  

“STOP THE CAR!”

She ordered.

I tried my best to stop the vehicle without causing our camping gear to fall or startle this animal that grabbed Charlene’s attention so much.

The car was stopped, and I may have even backed up a bit. It was early in the morning, so having a bear encounter was entirely possible. My concern was deer, and I had been looking for one darting out in front of me. Charlene was trying to find a bear, and she finally spotted one.

I placed the car in park and scanned the area for an animal that had eluded our gaze for so long. Yes, we have seen many bears in all of our years of visiting the world. All of them were in zoos. Even then, I would hear Charlene express her desire to reach out and pet the animal. It has to be an impulse that must be hard to control. She always tells her passion, and in this situation where we encountered a wild bear, I knew that the horrible thought of running to the bear and petting it was front and centre in Charlene’s brain.

“Where?”

I asked Charlene. I could not see this bear.

She pointed it out, “Over there.” Charlene even rolled down the window, and I was in a near panic. Bears are faster than expected, and the last thing I want is for a bear to reach into the car with us trapped inside.

I protested this development for my personal safety and asked for the window to go up. My wife insisted everything was fine and refused my request to stay alive.

I was becoming deeply concerned. Understanding where a potentially dangerous animal is is one thing; not knowing where it is makes the situation exponentially worse. Charlene was insisting she was looking at the bear, but I could not find it at all.

Then, the horror of all horrors happened.

I nearly died.

Charlene, eager to spot her first bear, got out of the car. I was hyperventilating, trying to tell her to get back in.

“It is fine; it is just sitting there.”

I struggled to make sense of what was happening. There was a real danger of encountering a real bear, and the one person in this world who really mattered to me was standing outside the car in harm’s way. It was now all the more critical for me to find this bear.

Charlene pointed it out again, and I finally spotted what she was seeing. I found the black mass that my wife was eagerly looking at. We genuinely desired to see a wild bear, but on that day, we were both looking at a tree stump.

Naturally, the love of my life, the very person who moments earlier scared me to death, was disappointed.  It would be a long time before we saw bears, and it was a sad story, too.  This event told me that Charlene’s urge to pet a wild beast could be overwhelming. I feared our next encounter would not be a shadow or a stump but the real thing.

When we encounter an animal, I am in a near panic, trying to calm my nerves and keep Charlene alive. Since then, we have had numerous bear sightings, as well as moose, wolves, foxes, and more. I know Charlene wants to go out and pet them, and I know that she logically understands its danger.

It would be a warm, sunny day when we were surprised by an animal encounter where we both were out of the car, away from the protection and escape a vehicle can provide.

We were driving home from Alaska on a day when I wanted to make some distance, but then we saw a sign for Wall Drug. And another, and another. Even more signs. There were so many signs for this drugstore that I became curious why this store was advertising heavily. I altered our route and discovered that Wall Drug is now a large, beautiful tourist trap in the tiny town of Wall. It started as a drugstore for the weary traveller, offering free cold water. This was a massive hit in a time of summer heat and no air conditioning in cars. Wall Drug grew into a must-stop for the tourists passing through.  

While looking for stickers to place on our cargo holder, I saw one for Badlands National Park. I had no idea we were so close. I decided we would go; how can I say no to one place I have wanted to go for so long?

We detoured to the Badlands and, while outside the car, posed for a picture and admired the view. A bison had been walking towards us. We turned to go into the car and head to our next destination when we spotted it. The bison noticed we saw it but continued its path in our direction. Its eye remained fixed on the two of us.

This was not our first bison encounter. We saw these large creatures up near Edmonton at Elk Island National Park. Those animals were very comfortable with cars and people, but I had no idea what this Badlands Bison’s comfort level was.

I thought of the irony of the situation. I was begging my wife to get back in the car for a tree stump, yet with this bison situation, I insisted we remained outside the protection of the car. After all, it approached us and I did not want any sudden movement on our part to startle the creature and have it charge us. Plus, my vehicle makes a “screaming angel” sound when it is in electric mode, and I was fearful the bison would attack our ride home. We stayed put and watched the bison drink from a puddle.    

Oddly, this unexpected encounter with a bison did not inspire Charlene to run up and pet it. I have taken Charlene to many places where touching the animals is welcomed. There are numerous petting zoos, including West Perth Animal Park, where bringing food for the animals is allowed.  Parc Omega was a blast, encountering all the animals and feeding them carrots. There was even a drive-through safari that left an impression on me. Plus, there is a cemetery where deer roam free and are comfortable with people.

I reluctantly give into my wife’s impulse to pet something she shouldn’t. Occasionally, she will touch a museum piece she isn’t supposed to, but it is safer than the alternative.

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