101/#5 - Pictures of the Longhorns plus some

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs




Today was a FREE DAY at the park, so Jeremy and I went to check it out. They offered a trailer ride to go see the Bison and Longhorns, and learn about their history as well. The weather was perfect, a little cloudy with a cool breeze. Our guide was wonderful, she had a lot of information about the indians, bison, longhorns, our park, and even some of the plants that grow around the area.




When we first pulled into the pasture there were no cattle. The driver of the truck pulling the trailer went to honking the horn over and over again. This was suppose to be a dinner bell for the bison. After about five minutes I was starting to worry that maybe the ride would be a bust and we wouldn't see any of them. And then..




You could see them in the distance, running over the rise. It was so cool and I couldn't even begin to imagine seeing hundreds of thousands of them running together like that. The herd had five babies with them.




We had a fence seperating the bison from us, but the longhorns could have come right up to the trailer. They didn't, but they could have. And even though I was so excited to see the longhorns, only two came to visit. There are more in the park. I guess they were busy off doing whatever longhorns do. All in all, a very successful trip.




Oh...and on a side note. We have a covered patio on the back yard, and every spring for a few years now the birds have made a nest in the opening into one of the patio support beams. It's very protected from other animals and the weather and right next to our bird feeder. Perfect location. Anyway, every spring we get the treat of hearing the little babies chirping and then see their heads poke out. Usually we only know they are gone because it's quiet. Well, today we got to see this round of baby birds leave the nest. Isn't nature cool?