It was one of those serene mornings in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—the kind where the fog hangs low, the air smells like pine needles and possibility, and you start to believe nature might just be your best friend. I was at Oswald Bear Ranch, camera in hand, hoping to capture something special for my puzzle line. I didn’t expect to stumble into a scene that looked like it was straight out of a Disney movie… or a bear survival guide.

In the fall of 2022, my wife and I finally made it to the Black Hills Roundup Rodeo in Belle Fourche, South Dakota—a stop we had planned nearly two decades earlier. Back in 2008, we were pulling our trailer westward toward Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with our kids, a couple of tents, and a Dodge Durango packed with totes. That trip was unforgettable, not just for the scenery, but for the unexpected detour down Crazy Woman Canyon Road.