Wild Animals?

I have seen my share of animals. Even had a few close calls.

Let’s start with the close calls.

Just after my son was born, Xavier, who is now seven; Shay and I decided to go to Bozeman, Montana to hike. Well hiking, we seen magnificant views and took photos (in which we no longer have). We had a great day walking and hiking all around the mountain. Then, on our way back, as we were passing a tougher area and attempting to share space for other hikers; we had seen three brown bears walking through the trees. Right from where we just went up a hill. Now, I am not sure if they would have attacked us. But, we weren’t carrying bear spray to say the least. And, honestly, that was one of the first times I had seen a bear that close. We warned other hikers that there were bear alongside the trail ahead as we continued to make way to our vehicle. Pretty cool sighting, even better close call. Nobody was injured, as far as we know.

Last year, we had seen couple of moose in Yellowstone. Usually when passing through Yellowstone we see a lot of bison. Not really so much that year. But, the moose were cool. We took a few photos and continued our journey. Yellowstone is a great place to see wildlife. We saw a lot of different birds that aren’t normally seen around where we are from back in Laurel. But, I love going there and seeing the different types of wildlife. Hoping to see a wolf one of these times. Those would be cool to see in the wild.

Aside from those, I have found wild salamanders in Washington. It isn’t too often. Or, occasionally we might see a bullhead snake or something in Montana. I have lived here for 10 years now. And even though time flies, I have yet to witness a rattlesnake here. Even though I am told they are fairly common.

One of the coolest and most startling wild animals I have seen was an owl. It was about 8-9 years ago and I was with my cousin Heather and her boyfriend Alex. We had went to an abandoned house out in the middle of nowhere. Right after I had made the statement “This place looks haunted.” a large owl flew out of the top window of the dilapidated house. The place was covered in bullet holes and everything. Needless to say, it was probably dangerous. But, I would do it again. Just to see if that owl still lived in that house. Because, I had never seen one up close in the wild until that day. The owl was a bright yellow mixed with a light orange color. And, if I could share the memory any better I would. That was pretty crazy!

Lastly, one of the most patriotic and extravagent animals I had seen was a bald eagle. Eagles are really cool birds! But, this was different. Back when I live in Roy, Washington, I had went on a jog. I liked to run on occasion. That particular day, I had left at 5 or 6 am. Right before the sun came up. I ran about a mile or two. Turned around and forced myself to job the rest of the way, stopping and walking, catching my breath. Then, continuing to run/jog the rest of the way home. I pushed myself. There was a hill that indicated I was getting closer to home. And, I started running faster. Just as I made it to the bottom of the hill, a bald eagle flew out of the trees. Nearly above my head but directly in front of me. One of the most epic things I have ever witnessed was that. I am extremely grateful to have been blessed with things I have already seen.

I want to see more. And someday, I likely will. I want to travel the world. Skate it and take pictures of it. And who knows, I might do that too. I am not that old. I am only thirty-five now. I still have plenty of time. The only setback is finances. And, where there is a will, there is a way. That means I still have a chance! I just want to spread positive change. Even when I am not entirely having a positive day. I want to be optimistic. Afterall, the sun still shines and I still have working legs.

I wonder what kind of wildlife is in places like Madagascar and stuff like that. It would be really cool to take photos of them in their habitats. Maybe someday… Like I said. Maybe someday.