Met a grizzly at 9600

My experience yesterday is one for the record books.  At 8:24 I pulled out of a campsite off the John D. Rocckafeller highway and headed for a mother load mountain.  After 37 miles of fairly easy going, the climb began at 1:00pm.  What I thought was a ten mile pass turned out to be a seventeen mile grueling climb.  In my rearviwe mirror a woman rider, Jennie, appeared out of no where.  Having someone to cruise with made for a tolerable climb. Just before the top, cars going the other way we're shouting at us, "BEAR!"  Two national park trucks were there and we were told under no circumstances to try to sneak by the bear.  They asked if we had Bear spray, Jennie did and they told her to get it ready ASAP!  It was scary but exciting.  One of the trucks acted as interference and put himself between us in the bear.  A quarter mile up we crested the mountain. With our eyes on the look out for more bears we posed for pictures at the 9600 ft Divide sign.  Jennie was intent on getting to Dubois that night, 30 miles away! I was not tired, not!  She had to rendez-vous with a guy she had been cruising with off and on.  I was game.  We flew down hill almost the whole way.  Cruised into town and immediately picked up six pack of a good IPA.  Our KOA camp was loaded with nine bikers whereupon we allied for the remainder of the night.  86 miles and a killer pass, I slept like I was dead!