The second animal is a large bull snake. It seems the flooding Spokane River is forcing this snake from his usual home. He was laying on top of a sandy berm near the river's edge. We observed him for a time from a safe distance until sure he was not a rattler. As we moved closer to him, he slowly slithered away and onto the tip of a pine limb that was hanging down into the water. It was easy for him to get up onto the limb from the water. Only after he had moved to the limb, did I think of my camera. I leaned against the trunk of the tree and leaned out over the snake and the water to get a good camera angle. I took footage for a while and then agitated the limb with my one foot. The snake moved away from that foot. After a time he tired of my intrusion and started hissing and jerking his head menacing. I jumped bank and left him be. Wow!
Jeff spotted the third animal. He heard this cheeping sound and saw a baby duckling. It was swimming in some quiet water near the flooded Spokane River. It was swimming back and forth in some distress. I tried to get closer to take a picture, but as I got closer, the duckling swam out toward the raging water. Jeff suggested not forcing it away, and I agreed. We left it alone. A short distance away as we were leaving we spotted the mom and dad Merganser swimming nearby in the fast water. We continued on so that they could reunite. I did get one good picture of the adults, but you have to zoom in to see them.
Jeff also spotted the forth animal, actually eight of them. We were pulling up to a favorite letterboxing spot. We had just passed an old indian (he appeared to be indian and also looked old) sitting near the edge of the road, cross legged. He appeared to be meditating. Down this trail, Jeff spotted two adult Coyotes and their six pups. Jeff encouraged me to get some pictures since I was on the far side from the coyotes and he was driving. I got several pics from quite a distance. We parked and headed off down this trail toward our letterbox spot. A little past where they disapeared we spotted one of the adults off to the side eating grass. He was munching away without realizing we were there. I made a slight sound and he looked our way, stared back for a bit and then moved slowly away. I wanted to see the pups and get a picture of them, so we continued on.
Jeff realized he had forgotten his camera, and headed back to the car to get it. I said I would wait at the branch of the trail. I went to the agreed spot and concealed myself to watch for the coyotes. In a short time, I spotted movement and adjusted to see, much to my surprise, the fifth animal, a young adult black bear. I was expecting a coyote. I am now standing in the road and the black bear is standing just off the road looking straight at me. I snapped a picture and noticed Jeff approaching. I motioned for him to stay where he was. When he saw me motioning, Jeff stopped and was also able to see the bear. All three of us stood there for just a moment before the bear ran away from me in the general direction of Jeff. I got one more picture as he ran. Jeff wants you to know it was the bear running, not Jeff
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| Letterboxi |
Click on this link for the video of the swollen Spokane River.
Click on this link for the video of the bull snake.
Back to Jeff, the letterboxing animal. You see, if it were not for the letterboxers sharing favorite places to visit, I would most likely go through the rest of my life not discovering what is right next door. I have lived in Spokane for nineteen years. I did not know we had such a bounty of things to see until I started chasing Tupperware. That is what some people call us letterboxers because we use tupperware for our watertight boxes. Jeff is the person that has encouraged me to get out and see these wonders. Jeff, you are an animal! Thank You Jeff. Oh, and by the way, Thank You Stephanie for insisting I attend the meet-up where we met.
I hope you share in my excitement! See you on the letterboxing trail,
KB
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