A Closer Walk With Nature…

Lately, Mrs. That Dan Guy and I have taken to leisurely strolls along a nature trail, close by in our neighborhood. Not only is it a bit of exercise, we’ve managed to view the occasional bits of wildlife along the way. Deer, coyotes, hawks, grasshoppers, wasps – a real potpourri of nature.

Friday night we happened to be out just as dusk was falling – happily at a reasonable rate of descent. We were coming up towards a deep gully, where a woman and her dog were peering downwards, into said gully. They were focusing their attention on a moose, and her calf – a calf about twice my size (just to put things into perspective).

We’ve never seen a moose that close before. What a majestic beast! Then, out of the corner of that frame, we noticed a reasonably-well-sized coyote reluctantly slinking away from the mother and her young – clearly frustrated at not being able to rustle up some dinner out of that scenario. Even a coyote knows enough to stay away from a protective animal the size of a Land Rover…

The pair of antler bearers started to move along, so we did the same thing – in the same direction. The path follows the ravine.

Suddenly, the pair began to head UP. Uphill, towards us. This is why zoos play such a vital role in providing safe environments to view nature, and a wide-open stretch of hillside brush provides so little protection from raging rugs with muscles. I’d have much preferred at that particular moment to be viewing that magnificent creature on the wall of a Montana’s Family Restaurant.

In some small degree of panic, we tried to find a gate in the fences along the trail, which we could utilize if we were charged. At this point in my life, I’ve quite come to enjoy my intestines INSIDE my body.

Happily, the moose on the loose vamoosed – without deciding to try either of us on as antler warmers.

We are now walking at what we hope are safer times of the day…

Chow for now!