YEAR: about 1986

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

STATE: Arizona

COUNTY: Apache County

LOCATION DETAILS: South of Big Lake on Road 273.

NEAREST TOWN: Alpine

NEAREST ROAD: Road 273.

OBSERVED: It was our annual summer camping trip and I was in the back of the car with my uncle. My grandmother and grandfather were in the front and my grandma and uncle were sleeping. I was staring out the side window and slightly forward. While looking I saw a large animal that I thought was a bear. It was only a very brief view but the animal was walking upright and was very furry. I mentioned to my grandfather that I saw a "huge bear" walking upright but he laughed and said it must have been trying to climb a tree. But there was a break in the trees where I saw the creature. It looked like it was going off of the side of the road into the forest.

I cannot be sure what it was. But, it was so very odd that it certainly looked like it was "walking" on two legs. It was dark so I couldn't distinguish any other features.

OTHER WITNESSES: No although I mentioned it to my grandfather right after it happened (he was in the car with me.)

TIME AND CONDITIONS: night
no lights except moon (very clear)and headlights

ENVIRONMENT: pine forest next to the road

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator TF Zamiski:

I spoke to the witness on the phone for about 20 minutes the evening of 1/3/06.

At the time of this incident she was around 17. She had camped many times in this area with her family and has seen many bears. This evening they were returning to camp around 9pm, she was on the passenger side of the car. What she saw in the moonlight was larger than a bear, upright and bipedal. She watched it take several steps moving through a small clearing as the car moved away.

About BFRO Investigator TF Zamiski:

Tim is semi retired. He attended the 2006 Arizona Expedition and the 2006 Wisconsin Expedition. Tim helped organize the 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015 Arizona Expeditions and the 2011 New Mexico expedition. Active Investigator since 2005.