The 19 mile drive through the park takes you up mountain and down dale, and the wildlife is not limited to big hairy cattle. The friendly ranger who gave us our map highlighted where each type of creature would most likely be spotted and, aside from an elusive golden eagle, we saw them all exactly where she said. It was like Disneyland.
Not that we minded when the safari included bison (naturally), mule deer, pronghorn antelope, elk and...BEARS! Driving by a line of berry bushes by a creek, where the ranger told us they'd be, three black bears were wandering around. There was no sign of Goldilocks, but we watched them padding about and doing bear-like things until they disappeared into the undergrowth. For cumbersome-looking animals they are very good at hiding. Hannah forbade me from throwing peanuts into the bushes to try to lure them out.
Other adventures included giving right-of-way to a bison, and watching an antelope show off. There were very cute chipmunks too but, like most chipmunks in parks, they were more interested in whether you could provide tasty snacks than acting wild and interesting. I think we've managed to tick every wild animal we wanted to see off our list! Now we can stay inside for the rest of the holiday.
Where do I get to shoot bison?
Yeah, but who listens to regulations?
Aren't these meant to be an aphrodisiac?
I can see you!
Bison: fluffy and huggable.
What's this? Another bison? No! It's a black bear!
Do I smell picnic baskets?
Bearing north.
The high point in the park.
A little piece of the big sky.
More bison!
Cheeky chipmunk but, to be fair, somewhat thinner than the ones usually found in California parks. It must be the mountain air.
The Mission Mountains. That's our cabin right there.
Hannah: bison hunter.
I thought this was a golden eagle, but it's a turkey vulture. And we have those in California, so they're boring.
Why did the pronghorn antelope cross the road?
And an elk! He walked away in an unfriendly manner.
Bambi! This pic was taken when we got back, from the window of our cabin. No bears have knocked on the door yet.
Bambi(s) and her mother. It doesn't end well.
