Counting Bears

We checked into the Station Inn in Cochrane a day early because we have not seen that many bears or moose as we wanted while in Chapleau. The hotel rooms are on the second floor of the station with a restaurant on the first. We were sitting in the restaurant about 8:15 am when it was announced that the Polar Bear Express arrived on the track so far. The timetable for departure at 9:00. Back in our room at 8:45, I opened the window to watch the train. Last night, I saw several trains of three or four cars and a dining car attached, so I expected to see a train near the same size.

Today is the first day for the Polar Bear Express its first two months of summer hours every day except Monday. I could see the train stopped on the runway so far, but downwards. It soon began to move towards the station. I counted 14 - or 15 cars with 2 or 3 cars to eat, a baggage car, and another at the end, I would not call it a caboose, but it could very well have been. A worker switched tracks and began to ascend the second runway goes away from us. After a few minutes, he walked with two additional freight cars at the end. Forward-firing of the worker back on the track and train support, but now it was too far for me to see.

The hotel is about 15 or 20 feet from the track. There is a yellow line a foot for passengers to stand behind. Many waited. It seems that it took an eternity to the engineer decided to move to the station.

Finally, we saw a train pulling into the first track, but it had several different cars behind the engine. Two flatbed cars with two cars each joint, then the cars started to arrive. It was the Polar Bear Express. My watch showed the time 9:06. Several minutes passed before passengers were allowed to board. A girl, 5 or 6, saw us and motioned us. She did and we shook. It has disappeared. Later, she returned to the window and waved. In just a few minutes longer than the train started to come off and we exchanged waves with the little girl with her father on the research. Can you tell I'm excited? Wait until tomorrow we are passengers!

We had to do laundry and spoke with the lady who was collecting U.S. quarters for each state. My wife always brings a roll of quarters so that we will not have to change when we do laundry. Browsing through our neighborhoods, the woman was pleased to find four to add to his collection.

Last night she told us they had made a trip to the garbage dump after 12 Cochrane black bear while there. Like alligators in the South, black bears are a problem in Cochrane. Laws protect the black bear. We would have disappeared, but the landfill was closed that day.

After lunch we go to polar bear habitat. mealtime is 2. There will be!

You have my permission to reprint and distribute this article as it is distributed in its entirety, including all links and copyright information. Lloyd Mize Âc 2007