Mon Jun 28 Lovell, WY hwy 37 w/n Bighorn sheep... a very rare sighting. usually w/ binocs... a mile or 2 away &
they're just a spec. went up into the canyon to see what was there. Arid desert
plain. sagebrush rolling hills
& some 500' mesas . Bighorn Mtns to the east.
Red mesa layers & some Hodos. Horseshoe bend camp had 2 trees as big as your
thumb.. hot open desert. Lake was muddy brown. cliffs were like lake meade... -
25 ft under w/ bleached whiteline on red/ vermillion cliff strata on south side
of lake. really vivid red.
onto Devils canyon overlook. Bighorn river looks pea green below. Sheer cliffs
1,000 to 1,500 ' straight up in most places. 100 sq miles of this. a vast canyon.
almost surreal. desert & mtn erosion goes on forever to horizon. visibility
maybe 60 miles. elev about 6,500 ft. thin air. bright sun. beyond belief.
stunning canyon.
Then hear bleating????? ?What the hell is this. go over the fence out to the
canyon edge to see under the cliff. BIGHORN SHEEP!!! 2 of them. maybe 40 yards
away. alreeady had the binocs looking at canyon /
Canyon
south view mtns. Magnificent animals. Young males w/ 1 ft antlers curling back.
fur is dark gray to brown & moulting / shedding into summer coat. about the size
of a big deer. maybe 140 lbs. legs are thin spindly & can hear their hoofs clack
on the rock. These are not the white fur mountain goats... they live in these
sjheer cliffs to avoid predetor bears/ mountain lions / cougars... they can't
manuver & get close to the sheep in these mountain cliffs.
They moved out & came up on the mesa about 50 yards away & here are the females
they were calling to ... & they each had a faun / fawn/ doe young? so 6 Bighorn sheep at one place. they grazed a ways & drifted off down the mesa plateau. in the binocs at one point... saw the males square off but did not charge & butt heads as the weaker male gave the grazing spot to the dominant male. Was chance sighting &
spectacular. next day local lady said awas extremely rare to see one!
Native American Indians have been in this Bighorn canyon for 10,000 years.. Their hunting grounds & this canyon was a route to the plains. Bighorn sheep were hunted thru the canyon, then once onto the plains to look, track, close for the hunt of the great buffalo herds. an amazing place. The tall grasses of the plains were sometimes 6' tall & the herds were plentiful.
This is home of the Crow indians. Blackfeet Nortwest. Absoroka / shoshone are west. Sioux are north, cheyenne SE.
This was a great day! NONE of this was planned. Thank you Lord! What an amazing place.
Mon Jun 28 Lovell, WY hwy 37 w/n
Bighorn sheep... a very rare sighting. usually w/ binocs... a mile or 2 away &
they're just a spec. went up into the canyon to see what was there. Arid desert
plain. sagebrush rolling hills
& some 500' mesas . Bighorn Mtns to the east.
Red mesa layers & some Hodos. Horseshoe bend camp had 2 trees as big as your
thumb.. hot open desert. Lake was muddy brown. cliffs were like lake meade... -
25 ft under w/ bleached whiteline on red/ vermillion cliff strata on south side
of lake. really vivid red.
onto Devils canyon overlook. Bighorn river looks pea green below. Sheer cliffs
1,000 to 1,500 ' straight up in most places. 100 sq miles of this. a vast canyon.
almost surreal. desert & mtn erosion goes on forever to horizon. visibility
maybe 60 miles. elev about 6,500 ft. thin air. bright sun. beyond belief.
stunning canyon.
Then hear bleating????? ?What the hell is this. go over the fence out to the
canyon edge to see under the cliff. BIGHORN SHEEP!!! 2 of them. maybe 40 yards
away. alreeady had the binocs looking at canyon /
Canyon
south view mtns. Magnificent animals. Young males w/ 1 ft antlers curling back.
fur is dark gray to brown & moulting / shedding into summer coat. about the size
of a big deer. maybe 140 lbs. legs are thin spindly & can hear their hoofs clack
on the rock. These are not the white fur mountain goats... they live in these
sjheer cliffs to avoid predetor bears/ mountain lions / cougars... they can't
manuver & get close to the sheep in these mountain cliffs.
They moved out & came up on the mesa about 50 yards away & here are the females
they were calling to ... & they each had a faun / fawn/ doe young? so 6 Bighorn sheep at one place. they grazed a ways & drifted off down the mesa plateau. in the binocs at one point... saw the males square off but did not charge & butt heads as the weaker male gave the grazing spot to the dominant male. Was chance sighting &
spectacular. next day local lady said awas extremely rare to see one!
Native American Indians have been in this Bighorn canyon for 10,000 years.. Their hunting grounds & this canyon was a route to the plains. Bighorn sheep were hunted thru the canyon, then once onto the plains to look, track, close for the hunt of the great buffalo herds. an amazing place. The tall grasses of the plains were sometimes 6' tall & the herds were plentiful.
This is home of the Crow indians. Blackfeet Nortwest. Absoroka / shoshone are west. Sioux are north, cheyenne SE.
This was a great day! NONE of this was planned. Thank you Lord! What an amazing place.
