Who Hits a Bear?

Not me, of course! I'll get to that story momentarily.

This past weekend, for Labor Day & the nearby birthdays of two of my three younger sisters, I flew home to Ohio to visit my family & friends. It was my first visit home since moving out here, and it was not without its always exciting challenges.

The San Jose Airport has free wifi! Other airports - take note.

I flew in to the Detroit Airport early Saturday morning. My dad, who usually transports me to and from these airport adventures, was in Connecticut visiting a sick relative, so instead, I was greeted by my mom & big brother Corey. We drove home to Toledo and no sooner did we open the car door, my dad called my mom's cell phone.

"I hit a bear. I can't believe I hit a bear!"

He was driving through Pennsylvania on his way back home when a black bear ran out in front of him. With a semi-truck right behind him, he could not exactly slam on the breaks, so he slowed down and braced for impact - which there was.


The beautiful 2-yr-old Chevy Cobalt could not stand the test of a 250-lb Pennsylvania Black Bear. Car is totaled! Bear, unfortunately had to be euthanized as he was badly injured, but not killed by the crash.

It did give us a chance to spend more time with sister Erin's fiance, however, as he volunteered to drive me, my mom, and Erin out to pick up my stranded dad. The poor guy!

That night, I relived my college days with my college friends. The next day, Joe and I drove out to Cleveland to visit his family and watch the Cleveland Air Show from the comfort of the Goodtime Cruise ship.

I also got the chance over the weekend to spend time with my ever-growing baby niece. At nearly 11 months, she is developed enough to be a danger to herself and small furry animals. The cats and ferrets, however, don't seem to mind the attention.

The only other adventure of the trip which I'll mention was a late plane causing a tight transfer between flights causing my lost luggage; however, United graciously had my luggage delivered the very next day to my house without incident.

It was a great weekend; one that reminded me both of why I wanted and wanted not to leave Ohio. If only I could take with me some of my beloved Ohioans :-)