Bighorn Sheep Sighting (VOF) – Trip Notes for 12/01/2012

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This page last updated on 04/10/2018

(Fig. 01)

12/01/2012 Trip Notes: On a trip to Valley of Fire State Park with visiting company we encountered a small herd of six Desert Bighorn Sheep about halfway up the desert plateau leading to the base of a mountain just before entering the park’s western entrance (Fig. 01). As it was quite windy, they appeared to be huddled together (Figs. 02 & 03) in an effort to stay warmer. Though this group was slightly smaller than the average herd size of 8-10, this was the first time I have seen a herd this large out in the wild for quite a while. These animals have very acute hearing and eyesight and are easily frightened. Fortunate for us, they stayed together long enough for us, and several other on looking tourists, to capture a few good photos before they began trudging off (Figs. 06 & 07) for a safer, more secluded location.

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(Fig. 04)                                      (Fig. 05)                                         (Fig. 06)                               (Fig. 07)

Having been to the Valley of Fire State Park on several previous occasions, and the fact that it was very overcast during most of today’s visit, I was only able to capture a couple of half decent pictures. The picture in (Fig. 08) showed the beautiful contrast between the foreground and distant mountain ranges. Though not very big, (Fig. 09) is a shot showing one of Nevada’s few natural arches. The picture in (Fig. 10) shows some of the fantastic color you get to see as you drive through the colorful valley called Rainbow Vista. Always looking for distinctive rock formations, I thought that the silhouette in (Fig. 12) looked like some type of face mask, possibly even that of a hockey goalie. The monolithic rock in (Fig. 13) is known as Gibraltar Rock.

(Fig. 09)                                    (Fig. 10)                       (Fig. 11)                     (Fig. 12)                                  (Fig. 13)

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