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418: Wyoming: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Dubois @ CherieSpotting     Nov 15 2008 - 14:48 PST cherie writes: We came to Dubois to take the sheep tour. A “sheep tour” sounds pretty lame until you put the word “Bighorn” in front of it—then it becomes cool. We wanted to get close to the sheep, so we learned about them first at the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center (which is located on Ramshorn street—love it!) A charming couple named Mark and Ann joined us for the four-hour off-roading adventure in a suburban up into the mountains in search of the Whiskey Mountain Herd. Before we left, I snapped some photos of some sheep in the visitor center—just in case we didn’t see any on our tour. (Also, visitor center sheep are much easier to photograph since they don’t move!) Our guide cranked the 4x4 on and we rumbled towards the hills. I was full of childlike energy (I can’t wait to see the sheep!), until our guide mentioned the petroglyphs. She kept talking about how amazing the local petroglyphs were, which made me uneasy because I didn’t want our bighorn sheep tour to morph into a petroglyph tour. (It didn't!) Hearing this after our tour was my biggest fear: “The bighorn sheep are wild animals, so we don’t always find them. But we did get to see those incredible petroglyphs. Wasn’t that a nice way to spend the afternoon?” My fears were put to rest after we spied a band of about sixty Bighorn Sheep. I knew they were sheep because my guide said they were. Our guide announced: “Look at all those Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.” If you squinted through the binoculars you could almost identify them as some sort of animal. I sighed, unimpressed—they looked like slowly moving freckles on the landscape. Then our guide said: “Let’s move closer!” I looked at Greg and cracked a smile—this was my kind of tour! Luckily my smile was hiding just beneath my pout and we shut off the motor and slowly walked closer until the Bighorn Sheep essentially surrounded us. It was incredible. I love being surrounded by wild animals that don’t want to ram me. We sat amongst the sheep, relaxed and photographed them in the afternoon sun. As a bonus, we enjoyed the petroglyphs and the town’s herd of Longhorn. I knew we weren’t in California anymore as soon as I saw a butchered elk hanging outside on a hook in the small frontier town of Dubois, Wyoming. Here men dress like cowboys because they are cowboys. Walking down the street in Dubois is like being transported back to the wild west with a healthy dash of oversized kitsch. But Dubois isn’t just a charming Western town—it’s also got a splash of strange. Everywhere you look there are funky big weird things like a giant bear, a huge mountable jackalope and a massive oversized skull. We explored what we assumed to be an abandoned mine, but later learned that it was the “cold storage” for the local supermarket. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 3388    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Cherie and Greg with Mark and Ann on the Bighorn Sheep tour run out of Dubois, Wyoming. I took this photo of a lamb in the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center just in case we didn't find any sheep on the tour. I captured this photo in the visitor center, since the rams typically ram each other in winter (and it's still fall!) Greg, Mark and Ann slowly getting closer to the band of Bighorn Sheep. So cute. We watched this lamb feeding. The mother, over the feeding, kicks the lamb away. Ann, who normally makes applebutter out of her basement, photographs the sheep. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Mark gets an upclose view with binoculars. Two members of the Whiskey Mountain Herd. The Whiskey Mountain Herd of Bighorn Sheep near Dubois, Wy. Ann, celebrating her wedding anniversary, came to watch the sheep. We sat amongst the Bighorn Sheep, relaxed and photographed them in the afternoon sun. Ann and Mark walking back to the suburban. I snapped this photo of a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep from a train in Colorado. The mud-flap on the back of the suburban. Mark and Ann with the big Wyoming sky. Scenery near Dubois, Wyoming. More scenery near Dubois, Wyoming. A meandering creek. Cherie and Greg Another beautiful day in Wyoming. Cherie and Greg by the local petroglyphs. Fortunately, we saw the sheep and the petroglyphs. (I didn't want our sheep tour to morph into a petroglyph tour>) It was great to spend the afternoon with Mark and Ann. I can't wait to buy some of her famous applebutter! An osprey nest. Back in town, we hung out with the Longhorns. The Longhorns are coming to check us out! I think this one was flirting with me! (The Longhorns were guests at our RV park in Dubois.) The charming western town of Dubios, Wyoming. Is that an elk just hanging there? We're not in California anymore! Honey...what should I do with all these extra antlers? We thought this was an old mine in Dubois, WY, but it turned out to be the local market's "cold storage." The entrance to the local market's "cold storage." No Wyoming town would be complete without the drive-up liquor store. Greg with a friendly cowboy in Dubois, Wy. Cherie on a jackalope. When you see a big skull, you know you're at the local laundromat. Be very scared. Greg isn't afraid of the bear. One last photo of a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. (The sheep in the visitor center are much easier to photograph because they don't move!)