The Magical Bears—- Two Polar Bears Travel the World in Global Warming Written and Illustrated by Laurel Marie Sobol
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Two Polar Bears Travel the World in
Global Warming
Written and Illustrated
by Laurel Marie Sobol
Preface
The world is changing very fast. Global warming
is a real world issue and the inhabitants of the
entire globe will likely feel its effects. The polar
bears will be some of nature’s first animals to feel
the impact as the ice packs and glaciers melt.
This new book about polar bears is about two
special bears named Glacia and Snow Glow who
are different from other bears of the great far
north. They want to see the world, make note of
it’s special qualities, and bring back what they see
to their home land. Then they want to share their
findings with the world.
Two Polar Bears Travel the World in
Global Warming
~Dedication~
To Vivian, Sophia, Laura, & Robert Sobol
Two Polar Bears Travel the World in
Global Warming
Table of Contents
Preface~
Dedication~
CHAPTER ONE~ Alaska Polar Bear Cubs 1
CHAPTER TWO~ Polar Bears Get Bigger 9
CHAPTER THREE~ ARCTICA
CHAPTER FOUR~ Bears Bigger
CHAPTER FIVE~ JAPAN
Chapter Six~ CHINA
Chapter Seven~ INDIA
CHAPTER EIGHT~ AUSTRALIA GREAT
BARRIER REEF
CHAPTER NINE~ THE TWELVE APOSTLE
AREA
Chapter Ten~ ANTARCTICA
Chapter Eleven~ AFRICA
Chapter Twelve~ SOUTH AMERICA 73-80
Chapter Thirteen~ GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 81-87
Chapter Fourteen~ NORTH AMERICA 88
Chapter Fifteen~ Alaska Home Sweet Home
Epilogue~
Chapter One NEWBORNS On a cold and blustery day in the middle of winter, deep in an ice cave along the foothills of the great Denali National Park mountains, just south of the giant mountain range, a small hairless polar bear cub was born. It’s mother, Starlight, licked him all over as she inspected him and drew him close to her teat so he could drink her fresh warm milk made especially for him. She named him Snow Glow and he was the apple of his mother’s eye. She kept him clean, dry, and well fed for several months in which time he grew in size from about fourteen inches long and 20 pounds to the size of a medium size dog come spring. Not far from Snow Glow and his mother’s cave was another mama polar bear, Natalie, who had just given birth to her single baby girl cub named Glacia at nearly the same time as Snow Glow's birth. Each newborn cub weighed about one and a half pounds and were about a foot long. They were the most recent addition on the frozen terrain where they lived. They were the new "Sea Bears" on the block so to say because polar bear means ‘sea bear.’ The cubs would spend the next three to four months in their caves with their mothers. Both cubs were Christmas babies and they were loved and adored by their mamas. The outside temperatures often hit well below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and as low as negative 45 degrees Fahrenheit more times than not. The cubs never felt cold or hungry in their den when their mother was present because the warmth from their mother provided heat and warmth from their mother. Snow Glow was a little bigger than Glacia, but what she lacked in size she made up for in bearing and attitude. She could nearly everything that Snow Glow could do. Snow Glow was just emerging from his cave with his mother on this fine early spring day in April. The cold zapped his little baby nose as Arctic air hit it mixed with the faintest hint of spring warmth touching his fur. He looked straight ahead and saw the giant mountains of the Denali rising above him and his Mama. His eyes looked higher and higher until his neck strained with the effort, then he saw the giant blue sky above and he suddenly sneezed! The cold reached high into his nose and tickled it until he giggled. He tried to follow in the footsteps of Mama but he had trouble, they were headed up a slope and he slid backwards tumbling in little somersaults back to their cave. Little Glacia was finding it as difficult as Snow Glow to follow her mother up the slope as well. Starlight looked at Natalie, sighed and said, "Well, it may be a while yet before we can actually take these cubs somewhere because there’s simply too much snow for them to get far on, especially on the slopes." Both mothers retraced their steps back to their caves with their cubs and carefully closed the opening most of the way to keep out the icy cold air from their dens. Snow Glow loved the comfort of his cave den and he loved all the undivided attention of his mother. They snuggled close together as another snow storm besieged their habitat. Snow fell light as air piling up more than ten feet and the winds howled day and night. It was a good thing Starlight had so thoughtfully and instinctively ate an abundance of food in the autumn before she went into hibernation. She had eaten so well and so much that she still had plenty of fat on her body to sustain her while she nursed and raised her baby. She was not so hungry that she must leave the den and her cub to forage for food, she had time to do that later when the snow melted a little more. Snow Glow spent his cub hood in joy and happiness as he nestled into the warm thick fur of Starlight as the days went by inside the cave. The storms outside came and went but Snow Glow only knew how happy his days were with his mama in the warm cave den. The days turned into weeks and Snow Glow grew a little bigger with every day. Then it was time for Starlight to venture out of her den to inspect the area around her home and her hunting grounds. Starlight looked at her son and spoke to him in gentle grunts and purring sounds saying, "You must stay here until I return. Do not leave our home. I will be back as soon as I can, you must wait here until I return. I love you Snow Glow, be good." Starlight left Snow Glow in the cave and gently covered the hole that led into the cave to protect Snow Glow from any predators might try to bother him. She padded off toward the sea to find seals to eat and other edible foods she enjoyed. She would be back as soon as she could find food. Snow Glow whimpered softly to himself in the cave and began to entertain himself with various activities. First he played with his stubby little white furry tail and chased it until he was too tired to any more. He looked about the big cave and his eyes widened with wonder as his eyes followed every shadow and shape cast upon the walls of his den cave. Suddenly he noticed that there was movement in the cave with him. Every time he moved, the ‘thing’ moved too. If he went one way, the ‘thing’ went that way too. If he moved the other way the ‘thing’ did as well. Every time Snow Glow did anything at all the ‘thing’ would do it too. Snow Glow could not understand what was happening. He decided to play hide and seek with it. When he hid from the ‘thing’ it seemed to hide as well! "What in the world was going on here?" Snow Glow asked himself. It didn’t matter too much now because he had was too tired out to care so long as the ‘thing’ didn’t bite him or bother him. Snow Glow fell softly to sleep in his warm comfortable den. When morning came Snow Glow woke up but he had not forgotten about the ‘thing’ in his cave with him. After he opened his eyes he sought the ‘thing’ that was with him in the cave. Nothing moved. Maybe the ‘thing’ was alright and not anything to be afraid of, so he peered into the depths of his cave and tried with all his might to be brave. His nose trembled as he tried to smell out the ‘thing’ but he couldn’t detect anything unusual there. From that point on Snow Glow would not fear the ‘thing’ that lived in his home with him and his mother. But he still liked to play with it when he was lonesome. Then he suddenly realized that the 'thing' was only his shadow after all! The days went by one by one, a week went by and then another. Snow Glow was getting very hungry and he wanted his mother to come home now. Still she did not come for a while longer. Snow Glow woke up from a happy dream when his mother nuzzled his face and licked him all over with joy at seeing him again! He rolled over onto his back and Starlight sniffed his little tummy and then she licked it too. Snow Glow was so happy he felt like he was in heaven. Snow Glow said, "I am so hungry mama, can I have some milk?" Mama lay down so Snow Glow could get all the milk he wanted. Then he fell fast asleep with his round tummy full of warm milk. His face was lit up with joy as he dreamed once more. Starlight took a deep sigh of relief, "Ah, home at last with my little son, I am so happy to get home." She pondered in her mind the difficulties she had faced as she hunted for food to keep her going for several more months if necessary. She had happened by a seal carcass that had been eaten earlier by another polar bear. It was very fortunate that the bear had left so much of the seal for her to eat. She ate to her hearts content, thoroughly cleaned her paws and face. Then she lowered her face into the snow and glided along it to get her soft fur as clean as possible. Cool and refreshing was the feeling besides a plump tummy full of nutritious seal meat. Then back to her den to see her baby, well, he wasn’t quite a baby really now, but he was still very small and he needed her about as much as she needed him in her life. The mother and child bond was like a twin candle burning warm in their hearts. Snow Glow woke up and peered up at his lovely mother, he wanted to be just like her when he grew up because she was so good, gentle and kind to him. A happy purr rose up out of his throat as he playfully cuffed his mother on the nose with one small paw. Starlight pretended not to notice anything unusual and proceeded to ignore the playful cuff. Then Snow Glow rose up on his hind legs and licked his mama on the nose several times. He could smell the meat she had eaten but he didn’t know what it was. He tried to hug his mother but she was just too big for him to get his paws around her neck so he settled for a partial low down hug near her lower chest instead. |
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Chapter Three
ARCTICA
One day Snow Glow and Glacia had been
waiting a long time for their mothers to return
from a long hunting trip and they had become
very restless. As time went on and their boredom
increased, they decided to go north towards the
Arctic Circle as far as they could go.
They knew without a doubt that they would be
back before their moms came back from hunting
so they did not pay attention to time.
They progressed further into the wilderness.
Then above them the skies began to dance with
northern lights that shimmered and glowed with
blues and purples changing into reds and gold’s
and greens. Glacia and Snow Glow looked up at
the skies and noticed that the colors seemed to
touch the ground more to their north, so off they
went to see what this was all about.
They tried and tried to catch up with the
northern lights, but it was like trying to chase a
rainbow. Every time they got near it, the lights.
drifted further off into the distance, so off they
went again.
They had journeyed quite far by now and lost all
track of time. The bears thought it was a game
they were playing called ‘chase the colors!’ so
they kept playing until they tired of it long
enough to take a short rest before they were once
again on the aurora borealis trail.
The days slipped by and nights too, suddenly
they were no longer in the Denali area of Alaska,
they had gone far to the north into the great and
grand and wonderful Arctic Circle! Glacia said,
"Let’s try to catch it if we can Snow Glow!" She
hurtled her body high into the air trying to catch
the dancing rays of colors, falling in a somersault
each time.
Snow Glow followed Glacia’s idea and he
jumped up as high as he could go and fell down
just like Glacia. They both jumped up at the same
time, came down hard landing on each other, and
rolled down the slope they were on in a big
tumbling sprawl of giggles and laughter!
They looked around and realized that they could
probably never ever catch the beautiful rainbow
colors dancing in the sky. They sat on their
haunches and began to take notice of what was
around them in the beautiful Arctic Circle. They
saw many animals, creatures, trees and beautiful
things.
The Arctic Circle held many beautiful plants
and animals that they were looking at with
curiosity and interest. First they saw the Arctic
tundra which was composed of plants like dwarf
shrubs, graminoids, herbs, lichens and mosses,
which all grow relatively close to the ground.
They did not see many tall trees, mainly dwarf
evergreens that looked like the aged Monterey
Pines in northern California and along the coast
north of there throughout southern Alaska.
Some of the animals they saw along the way
were the Arctic hare, fox, lemmings, muskox,
caribou, and wolves. They also saw wolverines,
ermines, Arctic ground squirrels, and mice
roaming about or hiding under cover.
They saw some ice further north and went to see
if their mother’s might be there. The cubs did not
have a good understanding of space, time, and
distance as they proceeded onto the ice pack of
the beautiful Arctic area.
Along the way they had seen lots of marine life
such as seals, walrus, baleen whales, narwhals,
killer whales and belugas. The bears were almost
ready to hunt for seal meat, but they needed just
a little more maturing and growing up for this to
take place.
Glacia and Snow Glow practiced
and pretended to pounce and snare seals they saw
along their travels. Some instinctual insight came
upon Snow Glow and Glacia as they realized that
they were not near their beloved Denali
Mountains, and knew they must return there.
They had found a recently dead seal and ate it up
as fast as they could, and wiped their faces and
fur as clean as possible in the snow. They
proceeded to back track along their trails until
they eventually make it all the way back home
themselves.
They came upon their mothers not far from
their dens and gleefully pounced upon them in
joy and excitement of being home again.
Starlight and Natalie were on the verge of
setting out into the north to find their cubs, they
had recently returned from their hunting trip to
find their cubs not there, they waited
for the cubs to return on their own. They waited,
and waited, and could wait no more when they
began to head out in search of
them.
This is when all four met together in
a happy reunion! Starlight and Natalie asked,
"Where were you and what did you
do? You know better than to run off like you did,
what ever happened!" Snow Glow replied, "Well
we saw some beautiful dancing colors in the
sky..." Then Glacia finished with, "So
we wanted to catch them and see what they were
made of so we could play with them!" Starlight
and Natalie gave each other a long curious look,
then looked straight at their cubs
and nodded their heads like the wise ones they
were.
They knew all about the pulling features of the
northern lights, and knew that was why their
cubs had been led away.
Each mother bear led her cub to their
perspective dens and settled down for a long and
comfortable nap cuddled up close together just as
they had done so many times before.
POLAR BEARS CHAPTER FOUR
Chapter Four Cubs Will Be Cubs As the spring days improved with more sunshine and warmer days, Starlight traveled everywhere with Snow Glow, they were virtually inseparable. Glacia and her mother Natalie were also venturing forth into the big wide world like Snow Glow and his mom. Often they would play together as their mothers stood by watching their cubs while basking in the chill summer breezes blowing by. Now the cubs were enjoying the last of the summer days and preparing for winter hibernation with their mothers. The cubs would go to the seaside with their moms and wait patiently for them to come back to shore. The adult bears needed seal meat which meant that they had to go out to sea on exploration hunting for seals. The polar bears were excellent hunters and swimmers with special webbed skin between their toes for better swimming capabilities. Some polar bears could swim sixty miles before they needed to rest on an iceberg or land. Snow Glow’s mother could almost swim that far because she was still in her prime time of life, the best and healthiest time for her. The cubs played along the shoreline waiting but acting like they weren’t as they skirted the shore, pounced on each other, played hide and seek, wrestled and wrangled with each other until they were fairly exhausted! Time flew by and then they saw their mothers coming from the ocean, dripping wet. Starlight shook the sea water from her thick fur coat as a rainbow encircled her body as the icy spray flew off her fur. Natalie came out of the sea next and shook just as Starlight did and another rainbow graced her figure in the process. Snow Glow and Glacia tilted their head to one side and then the other as they amused themselves with the wonder of the rainbows about them. Star Light said to Glacia, "Wow, I want to make a rainbow like that too!" But he did not know what or how to make it happen. Then Snow Glow startled when Glacia unexpectedly swiped her paw right at left ear, then took off running as fast as she could calling out, "Hot Lava Monster! You can’t catch me Snow Glow because I can run faster than you!" Off she ran at a new record speed for her, but Snow Glow would not let her win this game, and he lurched ahead and tried to cut her off in a shortcut tactical maneuver. Glacia was speedier than Snow Glow on this day and little Snow Glow didn’t have a chance in catching up with her until she slowed down of her own accord. Glacia had a smug look of satisfaction on her face when Snow Glow caught up with her and said with a gleam in her eyes, "I told you so! You can’t keep up with me! But, I still like you anyway!" Then both cubs scampered back in unison toward their mothers with their ears blowing in the wind behind them and their stubby little tails wiggling as they ran. The cubs were more precious than two clear white diamonds skirting the snow as though they were mere butterflies because they were so light on their toes. Starlight and Natalie could not love, appreciate, or adore their cubs more than they already did. The polar bears made a beeline for their perspective dens, taking frequent rests along the way, until finally they made it home. Glacia and Natalie said, "Goodnight everyone, we’ll see you soon, have a good rest. Everyone deserves it!" |
Chapter Five Traveling to Japan The sun retreated once more and winds out of the east picked up causing the iceberg to drift at a greater pace towards the Pacific Ocean. It was fortunate that the bears had drifted on a very sturdy and rather giant iceberg that was about the size of 75 football fields. And as wide and long as the iceberg was, it was much deeper than that beneath the sea’s surface. Snow Glow and Glacia were not in the least bit concerned that land was getting further away, and they were not yet missing their mothers, because they were nearly adults now. They drifted out to sea on an unusual adventure of a lifetime that would affect the rest of their lives. Nor did they realize how long they would be away, or whether they would ever return. The storms rolled by and the sun would return and these cycles kept on day after day as Snow Glow and Glacia sailed into the future. It was the ocean currents that drove the iceberg. The ocean currents were controlled by the winds, the moon, the sun, and other natural factors such as underlying ocean rivers beneath the iceberg. The northern Pacific Ocean seemed to pitch the giant iceberg into a pattern like that of a whirlpool as the iceberg got caught up in a web within the sea. They waited for the ocean gridlock to end so that they might resume sailing the high seas again. The bears were in limbo as the whirlpool moved them in tireless circles when suddenly a new storm came upon them and shifted their iceberg in a westerly direction moving them right towards Asia. Snow Glow and Glacia were not hungry because they could swim in the ocean and under it as well to find their favorite food source, seals. The iceberg was once again in a ‘sea grip’ where it seemed to be anchored to the ocean in one spot. Glacia and Snow Glow were eager to investigate the land that was not very far from their iceberg. The two polar bears swam towards shore to investigate their new surroundings. They could easily see their iceberg from land once they got there. Food was plentiful for the bears as they honed in to the shore of Japan where they landed on one moonlit night in the coldest of winters. As dawn came they saw a beautiful country spread out before them with wonderful fragrances of fish, spices, flowers and volcanic earth. The bears had arrived on the northern most island of Japan called Hokkaido. The natural lakes and flowers that abounded here delighted the polar bears. They peeked from behind bushes at the giant white cranes gracefully standing in shallow lakes occasionally tall white cranes stood on one leg in the lakes or dipped their bills into the sandy bottoms searching for shrimp or other small fish and snails. They explored the island plants and wild birds that presided in the gardens. Glacia was even more entranced with the gardens than Snow Glow. and she did not want to leave the gardens because they appealed so much to her. It was colder here than in southern Japan, and it was quiet compared to Tokyo with its multitude of people flanking the largest island in the chain of islands that made up Japan. The pollution and damages done by humans was not so evident on Hokkaido. Here Glacia and Snow Glow found the peace from the countryside calming and relaxing after their harrowing trip west across the Pacific ocean. All too soon they knew they must return to their iceberg ship out to sea, so they left, better for the experience and enriched with the goodness of Japan filling their hearts. Snow Glow led Glacia to their iceberg and with the powerful strokes of their arms and legs they made fast progress. They arrived soon after they left land to climb up the sides of the iceberg and rest on top of it while they watched the land slide past them as the iceberg drifted south along the Japanese shoreline. The day turned to night and back to day. They had come to Honshu, the largest of the Japanese islands and also the beautiful volcanic mountain looming up from the land, called Mount Fuji that captivated their attention most. Dawn was upon them and the sun coming up kissed the top of Mount Fuji as it rose high into the heavens like a pinnacle of fire. It mesmerized them and they stopped in their tracks to admire the great beauty of the volcanic mountain. The swells had kicked up with the late morning winds and the waves were high and terrible. Glacia and Snow Glow found a perch on top of their iceberg island not far from their den where they watched as Mount Fuji became a red spot in the distance. The ice island lurched once more with the swells of the sea as the iceberg moved once more, this time in a southern direction well off the coast of Japan. |
The sun retreated once more and winds out of the east picked up causing the iceberg to drift at a greater pace towards the Pacific Ocean. It was fortunate that the bears had drifted on a very sturdy and rather giant iceberg that was about the size of 75 football fields. As wide and long as the iceberg was, it was much deeper than that beneath the sea’s surface. Snow Glow and Glacia were not in the least bit concerned that land was getting further away, and they were not yet missing their mothers, because they were nearly adults now. They drifted out to sea on an unusual adventure of a lifetime that would affect the rest of their lives. Nor did they realize how long they would be away, or whether they would ever return. The storms rolled by and the sun would return and these cycles kept on day after day as Snow Glow and Glacia sailed into the future. It was the ocean currents that drove the iceberg. The ocean currents were controlled by the winds, the moon, the sun, and other natural factors such as underlying ocean rivers beneath the iceberg. The northern Pacific Ocean seemed to pitch the giant iceberg into a pattern like that of a whirlpool as the iceberg got caught up in a web within the sea. They waited for the ocean gridlock to end so that they might resume sailing the high seas again. The bears were in limbo as the whirlpool moved them in tireless circles when suddenly a new storm came upon them and shifted their iceberg in a westerly direction moving them right towards Asia. Snow Glow and Glacia were not hungry because they could swim in the ocean and under it as well to find their favorite food source, seals. The iceberg was once again in a ‘sea grip’ where it seemed to be anchored to the ocean in one spot. Glacia and Snow Glow were eager to investigate the land that was not very far from their iceberg. The two polar bears swam towards shore to investigate their new surroundings. They could easily see their iceberg from land once they got there. Food was plentiful for the bears as they honed in to the shore of Japan where they landed on one moonlit night in the coldest of winters. As dawn came they saw a beautiful country spread out before them with wonderful fragrances of fish, spices, flowers and volcanic earth. The bears had arrived on the northern most island of Japan called Hokkaido. The natural lakes and flowers that abounded here delighted the polar bears. They peeked from behind bushes at the giant white cranes gracefully standing in shallow lakes occasionally tall white cranes stood on one leg in the lakes or dipped their bills into the sandy bottoms searching for shrimp or other small fish and snails. They explored the island plants and wild birds that presided in the gardens. Glacia was even more entranced with the gardens than Snow Glow. and she did not want to leave the gardens because they appealed so much to her. It was colder here than in southern Japan, and it was quiet compared to Tokyo with it’s multitude of people flanking the largest island in the chain of islands that made up Japan. The pollution and damages done by humans was not so evident on Hokkaido. Here Glacia and Snow Glow found the peace from the countryside calming and relaxing after their harrowing trip west across the Pacific ocean. All too soon they knew they must return to their iceberg ship out to sea, so they left, better for the experience and enriched with the goodness of Japan filling their hearts. Snow Glow led Glacia to their iceberg and with the powerful strokes of their arms and legs they made fast progress. They arrived soon after they left land to climb up the sides of the iceberg and rest on top of it while they watched the land slide past them as the iceberg drifted south along the Japanese shoreline. The day turned to night and back to day. They had come to Honshu, the largest of the Japanese islands and also the beautiful volcanic mountain looming up from the land, called Mount Fuji that captivated their attention most. Dawn was upon them and the sun coming up kissed the top of Mount Fuji as it rose high into the heavens like a pinnacle of fire. It mesmerized them and they stopped in their tracks to admire the great beauty of the volcanic mountain. The swells had kicked up with the late morning winds and the waves were high and terrible. Glacia and Snow Glow found a perch on top of their iceberg island not far from their den where they watched as Mount Fuji becamea red spot in the distance. The ice island lurched once more with the swells of the sea as the iceberg moved once more, this time in a southern direction well off the coast of Japan. |
C. laurel marie sobol |
Chapter Six
On to CHINA
The two bears were on the go once again as their
iceberg flowed in a southern direction well off the
coast of Japan headed toward the central Chinese
coast.
The sights and sounds of human activity were
everywhere they looked.
From the seas off China’s coast to the land itself
were countless numbers of humanity and human
activity.
Ships almost as large as their iceberg swarmed
the harbors as they drifted by in the dark of
another moonless night.
Bad air everywhere burned Glacia and Snow
Glow’s noses from human factories and activities.
The icy island moved to a quiet zone where there
were hardly any people about. This is where their
iceberg stalled conveniently for the
polar bears to hop off it and swim to shore in the
cloak of night.
This is where they would begin their exploration
of China and the country itself. They explored
some of the beautiful Chinese countryside.
Haikou, in the southeastern part of China
is where the iceberg stalled. This was the perfect
place for it to do so because Glacia and Snow
Glow would be able to take in
vast areas of the country while being inauspicious
as possible. For the polar bears were of a mind to
keep to themselves, they did not want to mingle
with humans.
This land was a circular outcropping of land
making it very beautiful and unusual. A fairy
circle really.
The moonless night did not deter the polar bears
as they went on their adventure through China.
With the light from the early dawn Glacia and
Snow Glow made good progress as they mingled
with the plants, shrubs and trees along their path.
Though tired, the polar bears had plenty of
energy to carry them far into the interior of
China.
Fortunately the bears came
upon a train thought to have been abandoned
long ago. Glacia and Snow Glow sniffed at the car
attracted to the smell of sushi it contained.
The sushi was stored in refrigerated barrels
stacked high in the refrigerated car of the train.
Snow Glow and Glacia’s eyes lit up like diamonds
on fire. Glacia said, "Snow Glow is this an
amazing treat or what? This food is so good it is
hard to not eat it up in one big bite!"
Snow Glow looked dizzy with delight as they
both downed the fish.
As Glacia and Snow Glow sniffed at the
remaining sushi barrels. Even though they just
ate a barrel of it the remaining barrels of sushi
made them hungry all over again as
the smells made their mouths’ water and drool.
Such a combination of abundant, and seemingly
Endless sushi delights awaiting them here for the
taking, and take it they would!
As Snow Glow and Glacia were determining
which barrel they should open first, they heard a
clanking of metal on metal and suddenly the car
began to move forward into the moonlit wee
hours of the morning, the engine could suddenly
be heard above the clanking of the tires as they
screeched along the old railroad
tracks heading into the interior of China’s most
precious and glorious assets where panda bears
still lived in limited numbers and where Tibetan
monks tried to care for the land.
The train gathered speed quickly and then took
the fast track zooming through provinces and
cities all along the way.
Glacia looked at Snow Glow and he looked back
at her, but though they should have been more
concerned than they seemed, the barrel of sushi
overwhelmed their usual common sense
and all caution sailed away. The engines grinding
didn’t bring back sensibility to the polar bears,
all caution was lost in the wind.
Snow Glow and Glacia were tasting gourmet
treats they had not known existed, and they ate to
their hearts content.
Nothing mattered to the two polar bears at the
moment other than the two sushi barrels they had
just emptied and the next two they were about to
eat.
The train was a non-stop train moving straight
to the southwestern corner of China for a very
important event that would be held there to speak
of preservation of natural resources and other
topics of that subject.
Too many people were traveling
to see pandas in their natural environment.
People were so abundant to these areas that the
natural land was changing as a result, making the
panda habitat a fragile place and ecosystem.
The train made it to the interior and
finally stopped in the giant valley of many lakes
and falls, the Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province.
Glacia and Snow Glow peered out of the train
car and wonder filled their faces as they looked
out upon the scene that unfolded before them.
The high winter zone seemed to forget that it was
already winter because autumn was
still lingering here and holding fast before the
winter wonderland of snow and frost invaded the
territory and all around them.
The sights that opened up before Snow Glow and
Glacia’s eyes was no less fantastic than their own
winter wonderland in the great far north of their
natural polar habitat in the Denali National Park
in Alaska.
First Snow Glow’s eyes flew open and then
Glacia’s eyes followed suit as they looked around
them in astonishment.
They were delighted by the sight that unfolded
before them. They saw great bodies of lakes
everywhere they looked, and falls cascading down
from one lake to the next in a symphony of music
and beauty that would be hard to match
anywhere else on the planet.
The whole valley looked like it
was made of ancient rock formations which made
the lakes the shape and size they were from
ancient glacier activity.
The lakes had lovely bowl shapes in many
instances and the lakes overflowed into lovely
falls that rolled down via rivers to the
next lake which in turn overflowed to another lake and so on and so forth.
The symphony of lakes and falls enchanted the polar bears and mesmerized them. The sky was beautiful but the high glacier mountain trapped pollution from the major cities of China making it somewhat difficult for the bears to breath
as well and as freely as they would have liked to.
The large numbers of humanity visiting there did not disturb the polar bears too much because Glacia and Snow Glow stayed hidden and out of view of them.
They made a dash beyond the train door and met wonderland itself. They played in the water, drank in the high mountain air
and scampered like biddy cubs toward Bamboo Arrow Falls where they drank long cool gulps of clear water falling from the lake above.
The two bears felt like this is what heaven must be like, for it was so beautiful and glorious!
They looked upward and happened to see a young panda bear peering back at them from high up in the bamboo trees above the
falls. They stayed overnight in this special area and drank in all the goodness about them, and then they remembered the sushi in
the train car where they had left it.
So they headed back toward the car with sushi in it and sniffed around the car before climbing
inside it.
The coast was clear so they climbed back into
the car to get some more. Just then the door closed upon them and the train started its long journey back to the coast of China in a nonstop
the car to get some more. Just then the door closed upon them and the train started its long journey back to the coast of China in a nonstop
route.
There was still sushi aboard the train because somebody had forgotten to take it all out of the car, so there was ample sushi to eat on the way back down the mountains toward the sea.
Day turned to night and back again twice before the train came to a stop at a rural depot outside of a small coastal town.
The polar bears escaped from the train moments after the train attendant opened the doors and away they went down to the shore to begin
their long swim back to their iceberg still waiting for them where they had left it a few days before.
Beautiful images of panda bears and bejeweled cascading lakes and falls filled their minds as they made their way to their icy island waiting for them.
Once aboard the iceberg, and ensconced in their den, sweet dreams of sushi sailed through
their hearts and minds.
The iceberg began to sail once more.
Chapter Seven
India!
|
Chapter Eight
ON TO AUSTRALIA’S TWELVE
APOSTLE AREA
The ocean winds once more died down and the
iceberg came to a virtual stop at the southeastern
most portion of Australia, in Victoria state, off
the east coast.
The ocean current had brought the iceberg
carrying Snow Glow and Glacia far south of the
Great Barrier Reef.
They had nearly landed upon the Twelve
Apostles just off shore. Glacia and Snow Glow
didn’t waste a moment as they leaped into the
brisk waters off the coast and began to swim to
shore.
The rolling waves brought them gently to
shore where they navigated past the huge rock
formations that made up the Twelve Apostles.
Then they were on the sandy beach and shook
the sea from their fur and rainbows danced about
them with every quiver!
The stormy seas had brought extra cold water
with them and that is where the iceberg now
nestled just off shore of Australia.
They glanced back toward their
iceberg home a few times before they walked
along the sandy shore and drank in all the flavors
that came to their senses from inland Australia.
Glacia motioned to Snow Glow with a twist of her
head to show him that she wanted to climb the
bluffs to explore the uplands with him.
Snow Glow said, "Come on Glacia, let’s go and
see what’s up there in those tall swaying grasses
blowing along the bluffs!" Off they scampered to
the high bluffs above by following an ancient
kangaroo trail that was still used now.
Glacia was first to the top and she waited until
Snow Glow caught up with her. They both eyed
the surroundings and perked up their ears as the
west winds blew through their luxurious clear
coats making them appear to be like two giant
dandelion puff balls.
They meandered along the bluff for a while
amusing themselves with the unfamiliar scents
of new animals they had not known before. Off in
the distance they saw kangaroos jumping vast
distances with vast heights.
They thought the sight was very interesting and
they were most amused by all the big kangaroos
hopping about, some with little kangaroos in
front of them nestled within pouches on their
mother’s backs.
There were also teenager kangaroos jumping and
playing together while other’s tried their hands
at boxing matches with every kangaroo that was
game.
The sight was a curiosity for Glacia and
Snow Glow who could not stop staring at all the
kangaroos that seemed to almost fly through the
air as they leapt forth into the wind which took
them even further still. Grins of happiness
spread across the polar bears faces as they looked
on at the sights before them. They cocked their
ears and wiggled their tails while they continued
to look.
The kangaroos about had not yet taken notice of
Snow Glow and Glacia because the kangaroos
were quite a bit to the north of where the bears
were standing like two cotton balls in the
tall grasses surrounding them.
A sudden wind shift out of the southwest caused
the kangaroos to stop in mid leap as it were, for
they sensed the polar bears as the wind caught
their scent carrying it right to their sniffers.
The kangaroos spun about to see what the odors
were that had carried to their noses, then they
beheld the two puffed up polar bears standing on
the bluffs looking straight back at
them!
Off they went like lightening streaks across
the grassy plains fleeing inland.
In less time than it takes for a flea to jump on a
dog’s tail, the kangaroos had all but disappeared
from sight completely!
There was not a hint or a rustle, or anything at
all to indicate that the place had just been filled
with kangaroos playing, jumping, leaping, boxing
or anything else whatsoever.
The place was completely evacuated
without so much as a trace of a kangaroo in sight.
Glacia and Snow Glow meandered along
touching shoulders as they sniffed here and there
along their way heading inland after the
kangaroos, but not to follow them necessarily.
They wanted to explore the beautiful Australian
countryside, and so they did. The air was cool
from the ocean breezes and it was filled with
luscious aromas of eucalyptus trees and gum trees
to mention a few.
These pleasant aromas were like magnets to the
bears as they followed their noses to the trees
further inland. They made good time getting to
the little forest of trees here and there.
The eucalyptus was most pungent and nice
smelling to Glacia and Snow Glow.
They sharpened their front claws on the trees
and left some of their scents from their fur rub
onto the trees as they marked their new territory
as their own. The inland heat
was beginning to creep into the small forest of
trees and Snow Glow told Glacia, "This heat is
tough, maybe we should go back to our island?"
Glacia just sniffed her nose at him as she replied,
"I smell another new smell that I must look into,
and it seems to be just beyond those
low hills over there." She pointed her nose in an
easterly direction that would bring the bears
further inland and further from the shore.
They contemplated whether or not to continue on
still, in a unanimous motion of agreement they
launched forward toward some ancient
aboriginal sacred red clay sand and rock
formations with a scattering of trees with sparse
leaves here and there.
As the scene opened up before them with the
intense heat that followed, the bears were
spellbound in their tracks.
The sacred place was brimming over with scents
of various animals and people which seemed to
transcend time.
Ancient rites and rituals performed here over the
centuries had left their mark on the entirety of
the place. All Glacia and Snow Glow could do
was stand where they were, drink in the smells
and feelings of the place, and become
more and more enchanted with the place.
The heat would not permit them to stay for much
longer in this most special and unique place in
Australia, but they had no choice in the matter
because their fur had become like furnaces upon
their skin. They had to retreat back to the
bluffs above the Twelve Apostles before they
melted from the heat.
The ocean breezes returned and rippled through
their long fur and began to cool them off before
hyperthermia set in. If the bears got too hot they
could possibly die from it.
Snow Glow said, "The wind is cool now, but we
still don’t have much time to be here because the
heat wave will likely come back any time." Glacia
nodded her head in agreement with him.
So they sat there on the hot ground with red
clay and earth beneath them with the cool breezes
encircling them.
The bears let their minds wander here. They had
a sense of complete fulfillment and happiness
here together in this very place where the ancient
past met the present and together they merged
making the bears feel like they were
suspended in a vacuum place where there was
neither space or time, just the here and now.
The earth seemed to reach up to them through
their toes as it provided them with new strength
and courage to face their future whatever
it might be.
The magical red earth had worked it’s job
giving the bears the heart, strength, and fortitude
that would take them further on their journey
towards the home they had never forgot, the
foothills of the great Denali mountains in Alaska,
USA.
Glacia and Snow Glow got wind of a yearly event
just around the southwest of
Australia’s continent.
The migration of seals into the Port Lincoln area
was part of a yearly event where killer whales
blocked migrating seals in the harbor and taught
their calves how to hunt for them.
The killer whales depended on the migration of
seals to keep their own lives going.
The seal population was greatly reduced in this
manner. Snow Glow and Glacia did not want to
be left out of this event because they were very
hungry for seal meat.
As the polar bear’s iceberg rounded the
Australian continent moving towards the famous
harbor, Glacia and Snow Glow’s
excitement grew. It was fortunate for them to be
at the right place and the right time to participate
in the seal hunt along with the killer whales.
They waited until they were closer to the harbor
before the both belly flopped from the tallest
tip of their iceberg into the harbor depths.
The splash was incredible as Glacia and Snow
Glow landed in unison and began their seal hunt
amid the killer whales.
The killer whales were surprised and a little bit
annoyed that the polar bears were invading their
territory and seal hunting grounds. Snow Glow
and Glacia paid no attention to the whales and
swam on to claim seal meat of their own.
A short while later the polar bears had captured
a big seal and brought it back to their icy island.
There they ate it all up except for the bones. Then
they laid on the top of their iceberg and sunned
themselves with tummies sticking way out!
With full bellies, Snow Glow and Glacia were
ready to face anything that would come their
way.
|
Chapter Ten
Africa!
As the bears appeared from their den the sunlight nearly blinded them. They crouched down low and backed into their den to re-emerge very slowly as their eyes began to adjust to the suns glare. As vision cleared up for them they saw a grand sight to their immediate east. The continent of Africa! Glacia’s nose quivered with excitement as the odors off the continent drifted past her nose. Snow Glow’s eyes shone and his ears perked up. He was absorbing the scents from land too. They smelled things they had never experienced before. Wafts of high mountain lakes and high rising waterfalls drifted their way. Sand dunes and desserts and high mountain air that kissed the sun came their way. The smell of animals of all kinds assailed their senses and boggled their minds. They smelled lions, elephants, gorillas, monkeys, birds, zebras, and many more. They were so excited about all the aromas coming their way, that they could barely stand still as they waited for their iceberg to slow in a chilly spot just south of the equator. They stretched and yawned and stretched some more as they readied themselves for the long swim from their iceberg to the African coast. Luckily for Glacia and Snow Glow, the climate in Africa at the time of their arrival was about late winter and still cool enough for them to get about the continent pretty much as well as they pleased. The temperatures would be uncomfortable at times and they would seek shelter in wooded groves and forests to find the coolness they required to survive any bouts of heat spells. Glacia and Snow Glow had landed on shore south of the equator just north of the Congo River in Africa. They were elated to stretch out their legs and necks as they strode along the Congo River heading upstream. Their journey in Africa would take them to the very heart of Africa and to some of the most fantastic places on the planet earth. Glacia told Snow Glow, "We will have the time of our lives here in Africa, and we will see some things that we will surely never ever forget, just me and you my dear Snow Glow!" Snow Glow shook his assent as he happily strode forth with his sweetheart Glacia. Snow Glow was the first one to see a wild elephant and said, "Oh my Glacia, look at that huge animal! Go stealthily by him so he does not chase us!" The two bears silently moved past the giant elephant. The polar bears enjoyed their walk through the Congo as they went up river moving towards Lake Victoria in eastern Africa. Along the great Congo river they learned some amazing facts. They discovered that it was the deepest river in the whole world because it was 700 feet deep in some areas. The Congo River was also the only one in the world with 60 miles of rapids. Since rapids are a type of falls, some people believe the Congo to have the longest falls too. The pair took their time along the way and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Africa everywhere they went. They saw many more elephants, peacocks, West African Crown bird, and the boa boa tree in the evening sunset. As Snow Glow and Glacia made their way further into the African interior they made sure of avoiding people as much as possible. They also realized that it was no wonder that most hurricanes seemed to originate off the western shores of this beautiful continent. For the weather here in Africa was all kinds, the rainy season was now upon the plains and most of the places they ventured. Sunshine was mild when the sun did smile on the earth. The weather was almost other-worldly with clouds rising high into the heavens and rainbows dancing across the forests and dipping into the rivers. Snow Glow and Glacia made good time through Africa without even trying to do so. Nothing in Africa seemed to daunt the polar bears, not even the heavy clouds of mosquitos that often swarmed them along their journey. Over a period of about three months had gone by when Glacia and Snow Glow came upon the majestic Victoria Falls and watched the monkeys swinging from the trees above the falls laughing and shouting as they played the day away. These monkeys were very playful and full of mischief, and they knew how to bring attention to themselves by throwing sticks and leaf trimmings over the edge of the falls and at each other. The great falls was spectacular as the bears viewed the delightful sight with the sunlight dancing off the cascading water falling to the White Nile river below, the headwaters of the great Nile. The huge Mount Kilimanjaro loomed above everything as it seemed to rise straight up to heaven itself at a staggering height of 15,092 feet tall. The top of the mountain appeared like a plateau as though the giant had recently blown it’s top. It is the tallest mountain in Africa and is not completely inactive as gasses emit from the crater periodically and magma of molten lava lay hundreds of feet beneath the crater bed. This volcanoes actually three large overlapping strata-volcanoes layered upon one another. Everywhere the polar bears went, Mount Kilimanjaro seemed to follow them, and they did not know what to make of this phenomenon. Glacia and Snow Glow found themselves in awe of this ancient mountain and kept looking at it everywhere they went. They could not always see it because of clouds that shrouded the top of it. The mountain had the special ability that high mountains held, and that was the ability to create their own climates, pulling moisture out of the air as swirling clouds danced around their tops. Sometimes Glacia and Snow Glow would come upon some especially touching scenes before them. The other day they had come upon a pair of giraffes standing beneath some boa boa trees as the sun was setting, and the day before that they had seen a giant lone male king of the jungle elephant under another beautiful tree silhouetted by the sun. Each polar bear had an ancient timeless light within their eyes as they looked upon each of these sights for they knew as beautiful as Africa was in the rainy season, they still traveled many places where the sun shone brightly, though not generally accompanied with the heat waves that dominate the continent much of the time in other seasons. Glacia and Snow Glow were elated to be in Africa and Africa would now always be dear to their hearts, but it was nearing the time when they must resume their trip towards home. They dilly dallied and stalled as long as they could before they turned their faces back towards western Africa. Snow Glow led the way back to their iceberg which they hoped would still be waiting off shore for them to swim to. Glacia was close behind him as her nose frequently touched Snow Glow’s shoulder or licked his ear as they walked. The trip back west was as eventful as it had been when they headed up the Congo River because coming one way and then seeing it from another direction made it look all new and interesting all over again. They made good progress on their travels and preferred to travel by night versus day, and as they walked their senses told them the story of what had transpired since they had last passed through this area. The animals, reptiles, birds and insects left their pheromones behind everywhere they went. Snow Glow and Glacia took in all the information from these pheromones, chemical scents created by the animals, and they ‘read’ other odors left behind these critters as well. The bears collected all the signs, smells, and signals of pheromones to create images in their brains interpreted like a TV show for them to see all that had transposed, occurred, during their absence. Glacia and Snow Glow saw in their mind’s eye the entire happenings of the areas they moved through heading to their happy den on the iceberg out at sea. Everything was safe and sound all the way back to the coast. Snow Glow and Glacia scanned the seas off shore trying to find their iceberg. Finally Glacia saw it just to the north out at sea about a mile from shore. She said, "Snow Glow, I see it over there to the north at 10 o’clock low." This meant that if the location were to be compared to a clock, it would be north and northwest. They were happy to see the sea and their mode of transportation. Snow Glow motioned to Glacia with a happy swish of his giant head that it was time they race north on the beach before swimming out to their iceberg. Snow Glow had a slight head start up the beach with Glacia not far from his heels. They reached the beach nearest to their iceberg and launched themselves like white missiles into the oncoming waves. They pierced the waves with such skill and perfect harmony, that no trace was left behind them. They climbed onto the iceberg, danced a happy jig and kissed noses, then watched Africa as it slowly faded off into a blurry haze. Africa was now behind them and they were now the wiser and happier for the experience. They sailed the high seas with the high points of the iceberg as their sails. They were making good headway towards South America moving through the South Atlantic Ocean. Their course was set at a latitude of 15 to 30 degrees South and a longitude of 30 degrees West. If the ocean current kept up at its present speed of approximately 45 miles per hour, they would reach the tip of South America in good time. The bears were on their way to South America, unless the wind changed its course, the ocean it’s current, or some other mishap, the trip would go on as planned. |
Chapter Eleven Onward to South America! The days went by like magic, the seas were just right, as they reached the half way mark to South America. Then a hurricane that developed off the coast of western Africa began to stir up the seas. The hurricane was out of season, it ought not to have developed, but it did. The oceans began to churn and spit foam high into the air. The crests on each wave seemed to stand on end reaching up to the heavens like fingers from the earth. The wind rose, the temperatures dove, and the seas reared up higher yet. Snow Glow and Glacia felt as if once more they were riding the crests of the waves themselves rather than the sea. They were approaching treacherous waters and climate as they neared the tip of South America. The iceberg shuttered as clashing ocean currents battled it out with the high winds creating whirlpools that wanted to such the whole iceberg into its giant mouth! The iceberg was on the outside perimeter of the whirlpool edging slowly towards the center, it would take more than a miracle to rescue the bears from this nightmare. The miracle came in an unexpected light. A Typhoon out of the south pacific islands was churning the seas thousands of miles to the northwest. As the typhoon gathered intensity and strength it rushed the swells at turbo-velocity speeds towards south America. In the nick of time the swells surged upon the south American continent where the bears were fighting for their lives clinging to one another in their den for dear life. The swells broke up the whirlpools and released the bears and their iceberg from its grip of sure death and destruction. Snow Glow and Glacia said their prayers, "Thank you dear God for our rescue from near death!" Glacia and Snow Glow were still trembling from their whirlpool experience and slowly regained their composure and natural self-assurance. After the iceberg was released from the grip of the whirlpool, it sprang into the current that just broke up the whirlpool. The current was so strong it hurtled along the southwest shore moving up towards central south America. Glacia and Snow Glow emerged out of their den as the swollen seas seemed to mellow. They looked east towards the wonderful land and once more ‘read’ the story of the land as the smells rode the winds towards the bear’s noses. The odors were like a culinary kitchen with millions of items to select from, the bear’s noses would try to follow a particularly nice scent that captured their fancy for as long as they could. Was that sweet potatoes roasting with caramelized sugars and pork coming their way? Glacia almost fell off her elevated perch on a raised area of the iceberg as she tried following the scents with her nose and body. Snow Glow nuzzled her back onto her perch and took up the scent with his own nose. He had a look of sheer heaven on his face as he turned to Glacia and said, "Darling Glacia, I think we will want to stay here for a good while. Look at the beautiful land and mountains! What fun we will have exploring this wondrous place!" Glacia could only nod her head in firm agreement. Ah the sheer joy of having webbed skin between your toes like polar bears have. Snow Glow and Glacia flexed their claws and stretched out their limbs like two cats all hunched up. They had been cooped up so long in their den during the extreme weather conditions along their journey from Antarctica to South America, they now felt free like two birds ready to take wing. More like two fish taking to the sea really. Snow Glow and Glacia knew instinctively that it was time to swim for land. They hurtled themselves into the icy seas of the great south pacific and paddled for land. It was now full on winter here and in this particular place there were ample numbers of seals and dolphins that stayed year round in these pristine waters. Snow Glow and Glacia hunted for seal meat on their way to shore, they each caught one and brought it ashore, where they ate it ravenously. The seals were ancient ones that had pretty much finished out their natural life spans. The food gave the young polar bears the nourishment they so badly needed to continue to thrive. On the rugged and rocky shoreline off ancient Patagonia, now called Argentina, and Chile, they rested and looked at the hues of blues and glacier formations of rocks all around them. The ocean was still choppy and always icy cold, but it held them in awe as they looked upon the scenery before them and all around them. The bears resumed exploring the country heading north on the Chilean shore. Then they went northeast and followed a route that took them to a high mountain pass through the Andes called the Cordillera de los Andes. The mountains were high and the winds blew ferociously as it seemed to try burrowing into their thick luxurious fur coats. This blizzard wind seemed to have an electric current in it that energized Glacia and Snow Glow as it propelled them along the pass and into the lush country on the eastern side of the great Andes. They came around to exotic waterways and rainforests filled with all kinds of tropical fish, birds, and animals. Just as they had seen on the western side of the Andes. They crossed large bodies of rivers, lakes and streams until they got to the northern area of Chile. Along the way Glacia and Snow Glow saw many interesting animals such as anteaters, monkeys, leopards, Chinchillas, Guinea pigs. rabbits, peacocks and Quetzal birds with shimmering green feathers as well as parrots and more. They saw bats, and all kinds of different animals they had never seen before. This was because there are more different kinds of plants and animals in South America than anywhere else on the planet. Animals of various kinds were hidden and blended into their habitat so well it was hard to find many of them. But Snow Glow and Glacia were no ordinary bears and they could tell where even the most camouflaged creatures stirred or remained as still as a rock. The plants were just as numerous and extraordinary to look upon for the polar bears. Orchids blooming in rainbows of colors, cocoa trees with their beautiful cocoa pods ready to be made into chocolate, palm trees and trees that flowered and trees that did not. The plants were the homes of many animals and insects and spiders. Mountains were all around them to their east and were often shrouded with high mountain clouds that covered them from midway up straight to heaven itself. This country was like coming home for the bears, it had many of the qualities that their homeland near the Arctic area had. This was like home away from home, which made Glacia and Snow Glow feel very much at home. This country fit them very well. Here is where they stayed out of sight and hidden from people as much as possible. They explored by moonlight and their acute senses every area of these vast countries. The vast area amazed them. Then they turned due east and continued until they reached Iguassu Falls and river. They had to pass through Brazil, Paraguay, and into Brazil. The falls were fantastic and filled Snow Glow and Glacia with joy and enumeration as the negative ions filled the air and oxygenated their lungs with pure air. They had filled themselves with the joy and wonder of South America to their heart’s content! Something in the wind told the polar bears that it was nearing the time when they must return to the sea and their iceberg. It was nothing tangible or anything, it was more of an instinctual thing that occurred to them, telling them they had been in this beautiful country long enough, true home in the great north west was beaconing them once more. So they reluctantly yet willingly began their long journey back on the trail they had made retracing their footsteps once more. The days passed, then weeks, and still they had not reached the western coast of Chile. As Glacia and Snow Glow came upon the great pacific ocean they looked for their icy island and could not see it. They determined that it was likely to their north, so north they went. They padded along the rugged coast line and beaches moving steadily northward toward Ecuador. When in Ecuador, the bears still had not seen their iceberg. They decided to swim towards the Galapagos Islands in search of their icy home away from home. They had eaten well before they headed out to sea and when land seemed far behind them they looked into the western ocean and saw to their happy delight the big white shape of their iceberg! They rested by swimming on their backs whenever they got tired, then flipped over and swam some more until they reached their icy island in the sea. Upon reaching their ice castle they rested contentedly with the assurance and confidence that comes with a job well done. |
Chapter Twelve Onward to South America!
|
Chapter Thirteen
Galapagos Islands
Glacia and Snow Glow clambered up the iceberg digging into it with their approximately four inch claws as hoists to pull themselves up the ice wall to their home. The swim had been long and tiring for them, so they went into their den and rested contentedly. Hour after hour passed as the bears regained their strength. Night came as Snow Glow peeked out of his sleep and softly muzzled Glacia until she awakened too. Like two comets, they blazed out of their icy den, slid off the iceberg and submerged themselves into the wild ocean waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands. These islands had formed over a millennium of years as the islands drifted northwest after they had formed from volcanic hot spots beneath the sea. Glacia and Snow Glow swam beneath the sea as much as possible before coming up for oxygen. Then they would submerge again to explore the world that met their eyes. They saw giant Pacific green sea turtles, huge marine iguanas eating long string green algae from the sea floor. These big ones were the only ones with enough body heat to last them about five minutes underwater before they had to get back to land. Smaller marine iguanas could not survive the undersea water for any length of time. Other creatures they saw and were keenly interested in were the fur seals, California sea lions, rays, sharks, bottle nosed dolphins, hammerhead sharks and Hawksbill sea turtles and more. Excitement mounted in the bear’s hearts and their appetites as they prepared to hunt seals for dinner. They worked quick and well, captured two seals and hauled them ashore, where they polished them off over the next day. Too full to move, they just looked about themselves investigating the countryside they were resting on. They saw little red land crabs and more iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks near the shore. As the food slid further down their stomachs, the bears could move about more freely, so they set about to explore the island. The landscape was very interesting, almost like a desert with not much shrubbery or giant trees. There was a lot of grasses blowing in the steady wind and interesting smells assailing their nostrils. Glacia and Snow Glow both caught the scent of the numerous giant 600 pound tortoises roaming about the inland areas of the island. The tortoises were very amusing to the bears who had never walked up to one before. Snow Glow walked up to a huge tortoise and sniffed right at where it’s head ought to be, but the clever tortoise had quickly withdrawn it into his shell where he felt safe and secure from anything outside of it. Snow Glow licked the shell to see if he might like to eat it, but the shell did not appeal to him. Glacia tried a lick at the big tortoise’s shell and said, "Yucky, I don’t like this flavor at all Snow Glow! Want to play with him?" She went ahead to play with it by tapping her right front paw against his shell, then she leapt backwards as fast as she could! Snow Glow did the same thing and the tortoise went backward too. The bears circled the tortoise and came back around to circle him from the other direction. The tortoise began to elude his predators by circling around himself, then he peeked out of his shell for a micro second before he popped it back inside. Glacia and Snow Glow were extremely amused with this play but they were suddenly distracted by a flock of noisy colorful finches who were communicating with each other about something very important. Snow Glow and Glacia stared at the birds with the beautiful red and brown colors and wondered what all the squawking was about. They tilted their heads from one side to the other in wonder, then they saw what the birds were upset about, just yonder was another group of competitive green and brown colored finches trying to get close to their tree and abscond with their fruits that covered it. The first group of finches were defending their fruit and territory from the second group of finches trying to sneak up on them to take it over for themselves. The red and brown finches just succeeded in driving off the green and brown finches and were making merry triumphant chirps, whistles, and clicking noises to proclaim victory over their adversaries. Snow Glow and Glacia had been watching the whole event while the big tortoise had moseyed off to a much safer distance from the two strange white bears who had been pestering him to no end! Glacia began to move further inland with Snow Glow right behind her. They went to a tall rise of land which wasn’t quite a mountain, and looked about. There were trails all over the rise of land and many huge tortoises were moving along the trails. These trails must be ancient because they made ruts in the earth from usage over the centuries. The trails led to some watering holes at the bottom where the tortoises and other wild animals came to drink. Only one tortoise was at the drinking hole and she was a grandma tortoise, so old was she, that she didn’t give a hoot who was near her. When she saw the two white polar bears within her sight of vision, she just ignored them and went on drinking her water as though they were not even there. Snow Glow and Glacia decided to look at other things on the island and off they went to explore. The animals were beautiful and exotic to look upon, and the bears were enthralled with the kinds of creatures they saw such as birds of paradise, chameleons, black browed albatross, the tiny blue penguins and blue footed boobies. They saw the Galapagos pelican, Nazka boobies, Galapagos hawks and the lava gull birds and even land iguanas. Snow Glow and Glacia had seen so many different kinds of animals that they had not seen before. All the animals were very intriguing to the bears, but they were getting ready to retire to their den. A rush of warm air assailed them which was immediately followed by a typhoon blast of cold air. The bears knew instinctively that they must return to their ice palace out at sea. They marched to the rocky shore and leaped into the depths of the Galapagos sea. Even the sea had drastically changed since their arrival here. With great haste, muscles churning away at the sea, and paddling with all their might, Snow Glow and Glacia swam to their iceberg and arrived in the nick of time. A typhoon was upon them as they entered their snug and cozy den to snuggle up together like two fur balls happy and safe from all the world. The bears were off once again to a new adventure. They were now headed to North America with an unprecedented current shoving them northward at astronomically high speeds that reached over 75 miles per hour. The sea was like a live thing flinging the iceberg north, ever north. |
Chapter Fourteen
North America Here We Come! The typhoon was well under way sending the winds and waves dancing as one in the great sea race to North America! |
The ocean waters were chilled from the push north of the Antarctic seas, this helped keep the iceberg intact for the most part. The iceberg itself had shrunk by almost half it’s original size.
A small diminishing amount of ice lost compared to what it could have melted down to.
To somebody looking on at the speeding iceberg, it was truly quite a sight to behold. Good fortune had prevailed the whole journey so far, and the bears were heading straight for San Francisco.
The iceberg made unprecedented time moving from the south pacific to the north pacific ocean, and now it was just miles south of Pacifica, just south of San Francisco.
The bears were outside in the sun and fog drifting on their lovely cold iceberg.
To anyone happening by, the polar bears looked like a mastheads guiding the iceberg, or a king and queen of their castle domain guarding it as they sailed along!
As the iceberg came to rest off the shore of Pacifica, just south of San Francisco Bay,
Snow Glow and Glacia took to the sea to swim ashore for a look see at what was going on there.
As luck would have it, they landed south of some outcropping rocks overflowing with seals sunning themselves after hours of hunting earlier that day.
Two less seals were heaped together
on the rocks after Snow Glow and Glacia snagged them for their supper.
Not one seal had even knew two of
their numbers were missing because of the hunting prowess of Snow Glow and Glacia.
Off and up the beach they scrambled
with their seal meat safe in their jaws. Then they hunkered down to eat the seals for they were nearly starved to death since they had eaten no food since they left the Galapagos Islands.
The bears were so big their tummies nearly reached the ground. They were moving rather sluggishly towards San Francisco. As they neared the San Francisco Park they ventured into it and mixed in with the floral surroundings.
They saw beautiful gardens and temples,
art museum, and lots of trees to mingle into.
They sauntered to the east where they saw
the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
They took almost a month to get to Yosemite National Park, drank from the cold mountain
rivers, played and splashed in the Merced and chased chipmunks and squirrels along the way.
They wanted to play with the animals and frolic with the coyotes and play tag with the deer.
Then somehow they knew it was time once again to return to the sea, so off they padded with
extremely long strides, and reached the coast far north of San Francisco. They clambered along the shore high above the cliffs, sometimes dropping down to the beach.
Then high up again as they searched for their iceberg.
Glacia and Snow Glow were getting worn out in their travels searching for their iceberg as they neared Monterey.
Snow Glow was standing on a bluff above the clear Pacific Ocean with Glacia by his side.
He peered into the vast oasis of the Pacific Ocean searching for the white iceberg among all the white caps covering the sea for as far
as the eye could see.
Something kept bringing his eyes back to a specific spot out to sea that appeared whiter and bigger than any of the white capped waves. He looked harder and focused at that spot, his sharp eyes locked on and focused more sharply yet upon a very white spot.
He knew that it was his floating home!
He spoke excitedly to Glacia, "Dear, I see our home! I see our iceberg! Oh, it’s over there, over there!"
She looked hard and focused the best she could, but still it took about a minute for her to find it and bring it into focus, "Oh Snow Glow, I see it, I do, I do!"
The iceberg seemed so far away, how would they reach it, even though they were some of the best swimmers in the world? Snow Glow said, "Don’t fret Glacia, the tide should be coming in any time soon, and with a prayer and some luck, it just might swing our way!"
Glacia’s heart swelled with happiness at Snow Glow’s words, and she couldn’t help hopping up and down several times in sheer glee!
They watched as the sun rose above the coastal range scanning the ocean and hoping it would carry their iceberg closer to shore.
They were well rewarded for their perseverance and patience, because the tide rolled in and as it did so, the great iceberg slowly rolled on the swells approaching the coastline.
They watched and waited longer yet for the ice island to come even closer, and as it did, they merged into the sea and swam with all haste toward it.
They had to rest along the way by turning over onto their backs swimming ever more toward their iceberg. Then they would flip onto their stomachs and high speed swim again towards their goal.
Finally they reached the iceberg after swimming for almost two hours.
They slowly and sluggishly clambered up the sides until they reached the top and rested with the sun glowing on their fur. Then they rose to shake off the sea from their fur as rainbows danced off their backs with every swish, shudder, and shake. A million pieces of rainbows flecked the air and blended into the fog and sun, making the sight a lovely one to behold!
Home at last on their iceberg, oh how they had missed it, even though They had so much fun with all their adventurers, it was always good and wonderful to get back to their den once more.
The iceberg would wait for no one, it was heading
up the California coast moving towards Oregon at a high rate of speed. The currents had changed and the bears were riding in style as they perched at the top and front of the iceberg like the two mast heads they were as they peered into the distance of where they were headed.
They sailed on into the sunset. The happiest
sailors you ever did see were Glacia and Snow Glow as they ventured into their future. Finally they took to their den for refreshed coolness and calm from the building winds outside on the open seas.
They nestled up close together and took a long and well deserved nap. The days went by and the two happy bears grinned from ear to ear every time they looked at each other, like they had some
secret just between the two of them. It was really just pure simple uncomplicated love!
The iceberg pressed on well into Oregon and
Glacia and Snow Glow saw Brookings, Gold Beach, Nesika Beach, Port Orford, Coos Bay and then the polar bears were just off the coast of Coos Bay when their iceberg came to a lull in the ocean current.
It almost shuddered to a stop in the abruptly calmed seas off of Coos Bay.
The bears wasted no time in
hopping off the iceberg into the ocean and paddled with all speed towards land.
They came ashore north of Coos Bay and roamed through the sand dunes on the coast, then headed east into the coastal mountain ranges moving further inland still. They continued moving on a steady course all the
way into the Cascade Mountain Range and looked upon the string of high mountains lining the ridge.
They saw Mount Jefferson, Mound Washington,
Mount Hood, and even the very distant Mount Rainier in Washington. They loved the high mountain air crisp with chilled winds off the snowcapped volcanic mountains all around them.
The many waterfalls like Toketee and Multnomah Falls tickled their fancy and brought joy to their hearts for these falls were so lovely to look upon.
The two polar bears kept to the Pacific Rim
Trail in a northern direction and then came
down through the Columbia River in northern
Oregon. Then they continued their journey on
the north side of the river on the Washington
state side of it until they reached the coast.
They scouted the seas from the high bluffs
near Fort Clatsop trying to locate their iceberg.
It took a lot of time looking for it before Glacia
spied it far to their north.
They galloped full speed ahead on shore lessening the distance between themselves and the iceberg until they were nearly due east of it.
Then they made some swift calculations and measurements with their eyes and senses to determine exactly when they would surge into the ocean to swim to the iceberg.
The time was just right to swim for their iceberg so they made a dash for it! Snow Glow set the pace and Glacia followed him with
all her heart.
They paddled like two bastions through the
on coming crisscrossing waves. Fighting the under-currents and pressing ever closer to the iceberg.
They knew that to fight under-tow currents was a big mistake they would not make, when they could feel under-toe currents hit them, they
went with the current until they left the zone of under-toe activity.
Then proceeded towards their iceberg. Hurray, they made it after a period of what seemed like forever to the two exhausted and
delighted bears!
They climbed straight up to the top of it and shook the icy waters off their fur coats. Then they went directly into their den and cuddled up like two tired puppies filled with happiness.
Chapter Fifteen
Alaska~ Home Sweet Home
The iceberg continued on its northern path heading up the Washington coast, past the Canadian shore, and into Alaska.
The days were lovely now no matter what the time of year was, because they had arrived back at their birth place and their old cub stomping grounds.
They were truly back home in Alaska where it really was the best of all places in the whole entire world, because it was where their birth place home was.
The iceberg rolled forth further into the northern icy ocean as Snow Glow and Glacia hopped off east of the Denali Mountain Range.
They paddled with happy expressions on their faces and could not stop grinning for the life of them!
Their hearts sang out loud and clear, "We’re home, we’re home, we’re home at last!"
So they were home and all they had to do was get to the foothills of the Denali Mountains to find their mothers. They skipped and
danced all the way home. Their mothers had sensed the near return of their children and were waiting expectantly by their old den sites as their cubs rejoined their moms.
Big bear hugs and nuzzling of noses proceeded from mother to cub and cub to mother until they were all caught up with kisses and loving nudges.
Glacia and Snow Glow took turns telling their mothers about their long adventures that ultimately took them clear around the Earth.
They told of the wonders of Japan, China, India, Australia, Antarctica, Africa, South America, the Galapagos Islands, and last but not least, North America and their home in the great
Alaska!
Snow Glow and Glacia said together, "We have seen the wonders and beautiful places of the world, and we have seen humans everywhere
we have been.
Snow Glow and Glacia both spoke to their moms simultaneously, "Mom, wait until you hear where we’ve been!" Snow Glow said, "We went to Japan where we saw Mount Fuji and all the
beautiful gardens filled with ponds and flowers!
Then we went to China where we saw a panda bear and heavenly lakes and waterfalls!
Then we went to India and saw the tallest mountains in the world!
The sight is still in my mind when I think about it, and the cold, how very icy cold it was up there!"
Glacia intervened with, "...You should have seen Krakatowa and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef with all the undersea life and corals of all kinds!
The western coast of Australia and the interior
were spectacular! We saw koalas and kangaroos!"
Snow Glow added, "Then we were off to Antarctica where it is the coldest place on Earth! All the penguins and sea mammals
were everywhere! The ice shone like facets of blue and white diamonds and crystals, oh so pretty to look at!"
Glacia inserted, "Oh my, Mama, I fell in love with Africa! I loved the elephants, the giant Victoria Falls in eastern Africa, called
Mosi-oa-Tunya before it was ever discovered by
Europeans. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World."
Snow Glow said, "What about South America and all the wildlife we saw there, the Iguacu Falls and rivers everywhere, I will always remember how beautiful it all was when we were there.
We went to the Galapagos Islands off the
coast of Ecuador and swam with the sea turtles and marine iguanas!"
Snow Glow looked around him beginning with his sweetheart Glacia and said, "But you know what guys, there is absolutely nothing like ‘home sweet home’ is there Glacia?"
Glacia looked at Snow Glow and their mothers saying, "Right Snow Glow, you are oh so very right!" Then all the bears hugged each
other very tight and purred loud happy noises that seemed to resonate far and wide on the Alaskan tundra. The day had been long and beautiful and the golden raspberry sunset with streaks of lavender and gold danced above them until they changed to liquid gold.
Then the northern lights came out to play a dance of ballet lights across the Alaskan landscape.
Dreamy happy eyes filled with more joy as the polar bears celebrated their country before they each went to bed in their dens for the night.
Tomorrow would soon be here, but for now, the night was a soft black velvety warmth that gently led the bears to dreamland.
We want to spread the word to all
living creatures that our world is precious, fragile, and in need of care and love from everyone.
When humans care about the earth and help to take care of it, the world will be a healthy
place for everyone!"
All the polar bears agreed with each other,
they all had a job to do, so every time they came upon anybody they would talk about the earth needing love and nurturing, so thatthey would share their story with other creatures and humans by telling them about it too. One bear may not be able to do very
much, but when everyone works together for the better, then everyone cares about it together.
Healthy planet for healthy inhabitants!
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