Road Trip - Spotting Big Horn Sheep

Today started out beautiful and sunny, a long weekend, the perfect time to visit a zoo. Of course, we don't live anywhere near to a zoo. So, we visited the Montanan alternative instead (which is my way of saying we took drive).

Our objective was to spot some bighorn sheep. We headed out for the East Fork Bighorn Sheep Herd Viewing Area, a cliff framed field about 5 miles east of the town of Sula, that is so known for its reliability as a big horn sheep spotting area, they've even erected a sign. We were not disappointed either, as we sped past the field, there were two ewes grazing near the road. But, by the time we managed to get turned around, and back to the spot, they were gone. The only sign remaining of wildlife, was a fat marmot running for cover.

Not ready to give up, we circled around to highway 93, near Sula, and were rewarded by the sight of a herd. They were up the hill a way, so binoculars were necessary to get a good view, and they were all ewes, so no impressive horns. The children thought they looked a little like skinny goats. But, they were impressed with the one daredevil in the herd.

We can mark bighorn sheep off of our list of things to see this summer. Maybe next time we'll go after a moose - it's been a few months since we've seen one of those. As long as they're not in the middle of the road, they are always fun to spot.

It's great to be a homeschooler.