Today's Adventures

As I started this morning's ride, I commented to my wife about my desire to see a bear somewhere on the ride. I had been on the alert for one since I know that they have been seen in Chatfield State Park but I have not yet seen one. I brought my camera along just in case. I passed all the way through Chatfield without seeing anything particularly interesting except for a magpie that was sitting atop a spindly tree. It would have made a nice picture but he flew away before I got my camera ready.

I entered Waterton Canyon. About three miles up the canyon, I startled a female Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep who was in the weeds between the road and the river. The ewe was agitated and jumped up and then came to stop in the middle of the road about 30 feet in front of where I had stopped. She then slowly approached me and I took this picture.



She was quite bold to approach me like this and when I backed away, she followed me. She even licked my bicycle tire. Then I rode on to leave her with the other sheep that was up the hill a ways.

About 5 miles up the canyon, I came to a place where there was a bunch of people all looking across the river and up the hill. When I asked them what was up there, they pointed out a black bear to me. I caught just a glimpse of the bear just as he went behind some brush. Too bad since I had my camera along. We waited around for a while and he did reappear for another glimpse but again disappeared before I could get his picture. He was 300 to 400 yards away.