It's a bright afternoon in Critter Country, a land where frontier legends, southern folklore and British literature share the same bit of real estate. It's also a place where little creek-dwelling critters probably step out through their tiny front doors to pick up the morning paper, glance across the creek, and curse about a certain bear who never cleans up after himself.
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| The creek in 2012 |
Speaking of the creek, if we compare the above photo with a shot I took in 1975...
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| The creek in 1975 during the Bear Country era |
...we can see two very different approaches to theming. When the land was called Bear Country, guests entered a naturalistic, rustic setting. Fantasy existed there, but folks had to seek it out by crossing a covered bridge to enter the Country Bears' domain.
Both approaches have their advantages. Although I loved the Pre-Pooh days when the area felt like an outpost village with a backstory, I have to admit that A.A. Milne's little bear certainly makes a lot of families very, very happy.
I do miss the Country Bears a lot, but at least I can still grab a peaceful riverside table at the Hungry Bear Restaurant (where the food's better than ever). And, before I leave the area, I can still visit that little steadfast creek that's flowed past so many changes...
Love this before and after shot. And great to have a food recommendation all rolled into one.
ReplyDeleteGlad the creek can still give you a kind of calm after all these years.
So funny how two attractions can make the same piece of land look so so different.
The whole area used to be so peaceful and relaxing...but I guess far too lacking in guest traffic to stay that way for long.
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