Animals

I am again on the lookout for animals in the wild. My favorites — prairie dogs, chipmunks, and little bunnies — still make me smile but I like to add new ones to my list.

We had a bald eagle perch daily close to our campsite and saw it fly around above us. Also, a group of deer — not the usual one or two running across the road — casually eating the tender, fresh spring leaves on trees a campsite away from our car. We’ve also been treated to several elk sightings, a first for us.

We saw pronghorn antelope and wild horses in the wilderness near Flaming Gorge. And we came across two Tom turkeys all puffed up and with the tail feathers spread out trying to intimidate each other. They were so involved in threatening the other they barely got out of the road so we could pass. And, of course, all the seals and sea lions on the coast and the condor soaring by the cliff.

Thankfully, Josh put Barnie inside the coach before he tried to get closer to get a picture of the skunk that was in the empty campsite across from us in Oregon. Josh didn’t get too close to it and it turned to leave with the tail raised as a warning.

We have always enjoyed watching the birds and are learning to identify them better so Josh got an app called Merlin Bird ID. We’ve been checking off the ones we see and have some new favorites on the west coast, including a magpie for its striking black and white feathers and Stellar’s Jay for its two-tone blue shading.