Two jaw-dropping moments in as many days...
Two jaw-dropping moments in as many days...
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branflakes

Original Poster:

2,039 posts

268 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
...happened to me on a trip to Montana & Yellowstone this week. The first was about 7pm on the first day I was there. I could hear a grunting noise from outside the log cabin that me and my wife were staying in. As she was asleep on the sofa at the time I knew it couldn't be her so I went to the front door to find out what it was only to see a censoreding HUGE female moose wandering past less than ten feet away, with a baby moose following her. I was so dumbstruck I forgot to take any pictures but I did snap this the next day:



The second jaw-dropping moment occured while driving through Yellowstone. I could see a couple of cars stopped at a crossroads ahead of me - when I got there I found out what they were waiting for:




I've had a good week biggrin

wideload

754 posts

238 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
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similar happened to me on tuesday, am on holiday near san fransisco at the moment and was playing a golf course called bodega bay. We were on the 5th when literally 10 yards away behind my brother, who was taking a shot at the time, a fully grown stag walked accross the fairway unphased. The round went well until the fog came in, not good in a polo and shorts.

mark69sheer

3,906 posts

232 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
It's always nice to meet nature in the raw.

I went snorkelling in Cornwall a couple of years back and was amazed to be buzzed by a seal that swam with me for about half an hour close enough to 'smell' my flippers..

Hedders

24,460 posts

277 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
My best was up near lake Tahoe. I had to stop the pick up truck because a mummy bear and her kids wanted to cross the road. I sat there, absolutly stunned for a few minutes while watching them exploring the verge near the now parked truck.
I spoke to some locals later and they told me that a sighting like the one i had just enjoyed was very rare indeed!

Poledriver

29,594 posts

224 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
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Nature in the raw.........I saw a deer last week, as it bounced off the front of my car!!
Appeared out of nowhere, over a hedge. Broke a couple of lights and did some paintwork damage.
Most will be pleased to hear that the deer appeared to be fibe after it's experence, no blood, no limping.just glared at me and jumped back over it's hedge.

MrTom

868 posts

233 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
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seeing a fairly big snake warming up in the sun on the path near my house. This was in Yorkshire, I had never seen a snake in the wild so it was quite a shock.

ihatesissycars

951 posts

232 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
I ride over the south downs and around Chichester alot and frequently come across herds of deer.

Often when bombing down hill they don't see us coming and run away at the last minute which has resulted in them running alongside for quite a distance which is a great experience.

Another eye opener is riding around at night with the helmet lights on and turning to look across a dark field and in the distance you see a huge number of lit up eyes all looking straight at you!

richyb

4,615 posts

240 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
Awesome pictures. I spend two weeks in Yosemite and it was breath taking. We have some beautiful places here in the UK but nothing to match the sheer size of the USA. The grand canyon is another place you just have to stare and think wow.

polus

4,343 posts

255 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
Cool pics!

I enjoyed driving around there too smile


Lordbenny

8,754 posts

249 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
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I had a green woodpecker in my garden this morning! wink

just me

5,964 posts

250 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
Hedders said:
My best was up near lake Tahoe. I had to stop the pick up truck because a mummy bear and her kids wanted to cross the road. I sat there, absolutly stunned for a few minutes while watching them exploring the verge near the now parked truck.
I spoke to some locals later and they told me that a sighting like the one i had just enjoyed was very rare indeed!
I have seen bears every time I have gone to Tahoe. Last time was a mama bear plus three babies, running at a slow pace besides the highway about half a mile before you get to the airport. They were about 20 metres from the cars on the highway. My cabin in Tahoe has been broken into by bears about a dozen times in as many years. If you talk to the locals, bear sightings are not uncommon at all. Don't know who you spoke to, but they must not know the area, or they must live deep inside a very developed/built-up area.

Spotting wild bears is VERY cool. Just hope they don't smell food on you or perceive you as a threat to their young. :-)

Edited by just me on Saturday 1st November 10:47

Hedders

24,460 posts

277 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
just me said:
Hedders said:
My best was up near lake Tahoe. I had to stop the pick up truck because a mummy bear and her kids wanted to cross the road. I sat there, absolutly stunned for a few minutes while watching them exploring the verge near the now parked truck.
I spoke to some locals later and they told me that a sighting like the one i had just enjoyed was very rare indeed!
I have seen bears every time I have gone to Tahoe. Last time was a mama bear plus three babies, running at a slow pace besides the highway about half a mile before you get to the airport. They were about 20 metres from the cars on the highway. My cabin in Tahoe has been broken into by bears about a dozen times in as many years. If you talk to the locals, bear sightings are not uncommon at all. Don't know who you spoke to, but they must not know the area, or they must live deep inside a very developed/built-up area.

Spotting wild bears is VERY cool. Just hope they don't smell food on you or perceive you as a threat to their young. :-)

Edited by just me on Saturday 1st November 10:47
Maybe it was just unusual to see them where i saw them then, I was up there for three months and only saw bears once!


LittleBro

9,455 posts

264 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
Awesome!

I went to upstate Alaska a few years back and saw all sorts of wildlife, lots of which was incredible to see - from the otter in front of the kayak, warning of our presence, the eagles making the noises I thought were only in Western films, bears going about their business...but the thing that really stands out is quite just how ENORMOUS Mooses (Moose? Moosi? smile) are!

schmalex

13,616 posts

236 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
On the Fastnet race a few years ago, we turned at the rock & popped the kite in a pretty decent breeze. For about 2 hours, we had a school of porpoises riding the pressure wave at the front of our race boat as we surfed our way down the Isles of Scilly - awesome experience.

GKP

15,099 posts

271 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
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These sightings all seem pretty normal to me. There's even signposts detailing rights of way 'round here....



biggrin

JulianHJ

8,870 posts

292 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
polus said:
Cool pics!

I enjoyed driving around there too smile

Where roughly was that taken?

109 Bob

3,762 posts

248 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
In the middle of nowhere west of Taunton at about midnight, I once saw two wild Wolves less than ten feet away from my van. They were coming towards me on a very quite country lane. I slowed down & they disappeared through an open gate & across a field.

On a separate occasion further south, also at night, I saw a Raccoon sitting by the side of the road eating road kill. At first I wasn't sure but as I got closer there was no doubt, it had the tell tale mask around it's eyes.

Edited because I forgot my east from west rolleyes

Edited by 109 Bob on Saturday 1st November 13:40

bimsb6

8,777 posts

251 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
109 Bob said:
In the middle of nowhere west of Taunton at about midnight, I once saw two wild Wolves less than ten feet away from my van. They were coming towards me on a very quite country lane. I slowed down & they disappeared through an open gate & across a field.

On a separate occasion further south, also at night, I saw a Raccoon sitting by the side of the road eating road kill. At first I wasn't sure but as I got closer there was no doubt, it had the tell tale mask around it's eyes.

Edited because I forgot my east from west rolleyes

Edited by 109 Bob on Saturday 1st November 13:40
wolves in somerset !

cptsideways

13,884 posts

282 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
bimsb6 said:
109 Bob said:
In the middle of nowhere west of Taunton at about midnight, I once saw two wild Wolves less than ten feet away from my van. They were coming towards me on a very quite country lane. I slowed down & they disappeared through an open gate & across a field.

On a separate occasion further south, also at night, I saw a Raccoon sitting by the side of the road eating road kill. At first I wasn't sure but as I got closer there was no doubt, it had the tell tale mask around it's eyes.

Edited because I forgot my east from west rolleyes

Edited by 109 Bob on Saturday 1st November 13:40
wolves in somerset !
Funny you say that I swear I saw a Racoon up on the top Mendip road near Wells the other week, I had to take a double look as it was definately not a cat/dog/fox/sheep or anything I've seen in the UK before....

polus

4,343 posts

255 months

Saturday 1st November 2008
quotequote all
JulianHJ said:
polus said:
Cool pics!

I enjoyed driving around there too smile
Where roughly was that taken?
Death Valley.

Part of a 3000 mile road trip smile

Edited by polus on Saturday 1st November 14:13