Weeeelllllll, there we were happily camped for 2 weeks at Union Valley Lake (Wench Creek CG) near Placerville, CA in the Sierra. For part of our stay we had family camped on either side and it was deeeeelightful.
They had posted a bear-sighting notice, so we were aware of the potential. One evening as we were returning from a swim, we even saw the beautiful brown bear lumbering around the perimeter of the camp-sites with campers following after with cameras and clubs - hmmmm. It was really something.
Fast-forward to Labor Day morning ... wouldn't pancakes be great for breakfast? Leslie was preparing to cook with the Coleman on the picnic table when Dave said quietly "there's the bear". He/she was retracing the circuit of the campground, stopping to destroy a large black bag of trash left by rude campers. THEN, the bear started sniffing the air, and changed directions. Dave said (not so quiety) "Here comes the bear! Move everything inside!" - Leslie did not need any encouragement in this regard
Dave waved his arms, made some loud whistling noise and since the aroma of cooking food was gone, the bear decided to return to the forest and wandered off. Needless to say, we dined "in Egg", but it made for a very interesting morning.
Take care, all, and keep camping as long as your season permits. Regards, L 'n D