On our August 2017 trip for eclipse weekend we opted against the usual accommodations at the Hampton Inn Sapphire Valley and instead settled into the lower level of a house in Holly Forest located via Airbnb (www.airbnb.com). The access to our level was through the garage and then a private door into the suite. It was a two car garage with the owner’s second car parked on the left side with my Xterra parked outside in the middle of the door. There were some boxes in the front of the garage on the right side that we paid no mind the night before.

We had checked in Friday night after a day of hiking. It was late and it was dark when we arrived so we drug in the necessities and left the rest of the crap in the car for a morning clean out before hitting the road. Around 9:30 the next morning my wife Jen opened the garage to begin the clean out process. Not thinking anything of it, she left the garage door open to make coffee. In the ten minutes the door was open a visitor arrived. The bear wasn’t seen directly but in the reflection on the side of my Xterra.

After making her coffee, Jen opened the residence door and right away saw the reflection of the bear in the side of the truck. “There’s a bear!” The bear took off, dropping his snack and heading down the hill toward the road and some other houses. After his departure, we discovered what he was after. The owner had a box of peaches in the front of the garage. The bear had entered the garage, drug the box to the middle of the garage and enjoyed a feast. In his wake he left 8 peach pits on the driveway next to my Xterra and a half eaten peach that he dropped when he scurried off.

All that in ten minutes!