Conversation with a camel!

Take a trip up highway 184 between Mancos and Cortez and you may be surprised at what you find.  Having some errands to run in Cortez I started out yesterday morning on a leisurely drive, hoping to see the cute donkeys that are pastured along the way.  What a treat the morning was!   Not only did I see beautiful green fields and farmlands celebrating the spring weather,  but my first discovery was that the buffalos  that are always an interesting sight , had a new arrival!   The four adults kept the young calf  under their watchful eye and at a distance from the road, but discovering the baby "buff" was a delightful moment !   Years ago, when living in Carson City,Nv. , one of my favorite drives was along Jacks Valley Road to historic Genoa and seeing the buffalo(and so enjoying their babies) that grazed on the white fenced green fields of "Harvey's Ranch"that nestled against the beautiful Sierra Mountains.   And then the sadness when the ranch was sold and the new owners ridded themselves( by slaughter we supposed) of  the buffalo that were a cherished part of that beautiful  valley.   Yesterday, brought back pleasant memories of days gone by.

And then there was the discovery of the camels, that I knew were residents of the area, but never dreamed that I would have an upfront and personal conversation with the personable fellow pictured here.  He had not a problem with a face to face, made not a sound, but was clear in his communication.  " I am Alpha Camel here. You can look but this is my territory."   I loved the eye contact, his proud stature, his arrogance (something I detest in people , but somehow found charming in my new friend) and the cute smirk on his face as I snapped pictures.   He showed no intention of ending our "conversation" but as the reality of the weak wire fence, the size of the creature , the fact that I was alone and the car was up the road a ways, I said my good byes and retreated . When I downloaded my photos, I found that my new friend really had made the last gesture.  My final picture clearly showed a "spitting camel" with a long stream of saliva coming my way!   I like to think it was an endearing camel expression of fond farewell!

I sped on past my usual stop at the field of donkeys.  This morning's photo safari had already been more than enough! sf