I enjoyed your article very much Ray. I grew up 50 miles east of Yellowstone. I remember stories my parents would tell much like your own. People must of thought they were at a zoo, but you are right, they are wild and unpredictable. Here is a true story of my youth. My father was a big game guide, one autumn he left on a trip to hunt bear. We lived outside of the town of Powell, Wyo. My 2 sisters and I were playing dolls outside on our picnic table, when what we thought was a big dog came rambling near our barbed wire fence. A bear. Mom called the neighbor, but the bear took off. When dad came home empty handed, mom said, "if you'd of just stayed home you would of had your bear!" Thanks Ray for your story, it brought back a fond memory.