We went to Alaska last year. It was phenomenal! I wonder if we will ever have another trip like that again.
We had a list of things we wanted to see during our six-week journey to Alaska and back, including animals. At this point in our journey, we had seen mountain goats, both types of caribou, grizzly and black bears, lots of bison, elk, mule deer, and countless new bugs, but we did not get to see any bighorn sheep.
We were in Montana following Interstate 15 when we passed a sign mentioning a scenic road. I debated detouring to see it, but by the time I made a decision, I had already driven past the intersection.
Very quickly, I regretted not taking the detour. As we were driving along the main highway, we both saw how incredibly beautiful the road was and when we arrived at the next sign for this road, there was no doubt in our minds that it was the right decision.
Also on our list of things to see were the various environments on this continent. Where we live, nothing comes close to the majesty of Montana. We were very much enamoured with the sights of Old Highway 91.
At this point, I also had to burst my wife’s bubble. We talked about Bighorn Sheep while we drove along this road. Bighorn sheep were the only creatures we wanted to see that we had not seen. We were now at the end of its range, and I told her it was doubtful we would ever see these trophy animals.
She was disappointed, understandably so.
But we have had a fantastic trip so far. Days earlier, while talking to a park ranger, she was impressed with all we saw and stated that most people are lucky to see one of the animals on our list.
Like in so many of our travels, Charlene pulls out her phone and records our journey along this scenic highway. It is beautiful and fun to drive. Travel is a wondrous experience. We have seen and been to so many places that we know we are blessed with the memories of our journeys.
And then it happened.
A bighorn sheep was standing in the road.
I had just told my wife that we would never see one, and there was not one but three sheep in front of us.
She was ecstatic, as you can hear in the video (wait until the end).
Unfortunately, the location was too busy with traffic, and there was no good place to park for a better picture and experience with the sheep. But we now saw every animal on our list.
