safely tucked under mommy's arm

yeah, it's not a very good shot technically speaking, but seeing a bear

in the wild peacefully sleeping with a cub under her chin was a real

treat. getting closer would have been dangerous both due to the steep

hill and disturbing a wild creature with a baby.

Not many people would ever get a picture like this.  I don't think I would have got this close.  Rewarding picture though.

This was at full 24x zoom (approx 624mm) and then zoomed in again in PhotoShop.

It was up a steep hill across very thick brush and probably 200 yards away or more.

the bear and her cub were totally oblivious to all the people watching, which
is how it should be... don't disturb them and keep a long distance away ;)

see this link for a better idea of how safe it was

http://photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00WX82