Now I knew getting into this traveling gig that I would encounter my fair share of wildlife. That is to be expected. I have seen an abundance of cows, deer, flies, squirrels, birds, fish, and dogs. I did not expect to see so many beavers in the Ozarks. They are adorable!
One in particular enjoyed hiding out in a drainage ditch next to our campground. It poked its little head out as if to say “hello”, then promptly scrambled back inside the ditch. Sometimes, it scurried across the grass, but only after looking both ways, seeing if anyone was following.
Our dogs kept looking for him (or her, I did not want to check) in every ditch we passed on our hikes. I suppose it makes sense there would be beavers near a lake. It confounded me when I saw a beaver a few months ago poking around at my school in the middle of Naples, with no body of water within 5 miles!
Now all this wildlife is pretty and peaceful and is what you want to experience in the woods. Ironically, a recent Facebook post informed us that we need only look outside our condo window in Florida and we could have seen a black bear strolling past the driveway.
We have driven over 2,000 miles in the past month and yet we could have seen larger and more exciting creatures from the comfort of home! Gosh, I’ve seen alligators and pythons in Florida. I’m still waiting to catch a glimpse of the Florida Panther – from the safety of my car, though.
The most unique animal so far this summer has been a roadrunner in Oklahoma – and yes, it was running very fast across Route 66! Surprisingly, it was much, much smaller than a coyote, more the size of a turkey. That Wiley should have done better.
I’ve seen moose in Maine and prairie dogs in Wyoming. I’ve heard the seals barking on the rocks in Oregon and I once witnessed a California Condor while hiking in Sedona. Experiencing the great outdoors allows for magical moments to connect with nature and witness creatures, large and small, in their natural habitats. We are just the visitors in their neighborhoods, after all.
And our dogs, Lola and Fiona, get to experience this all as well. I often wonder what they would do if they ever actually came face to face with any of these animals.
I think this beaver from the Ozarks would be the friendliest yet!