Driving in the Wild

I went on a recent vacation with my family to Estes Park, CO, which, much to my enjoyment, lies right on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park. Being from Illinois where the majority of wildlife is either deer or robins, we were excited to see some of the inhabitants of the area. Black bear, elk, moose, bighorn sheep...we couldn't wait. But after several excursions into the park, we were left with a multitude of elk sightings, but not much else. I was starting to get a little discouraged, to say the least. Why was it so hard to find wildlife? I think the answer can come from that great business mantra...'Location, Location, Location'

In college, some friends and I decided to undertake a mission. The mission was simple: we had 4 years of college to travel to all 49 driveable states using my parents 1993 Ford Aerostar. So as cheaply as possible, we drove. We drove thousands of miles with several days containing only driving. And amidst all the driving, we had the same outcome as my family did. Very little wildlife. That was until the last road trip.

This was the culmination of our college education. Forget final papers, exams or projects. It was our drive to Alaska. The zenith of my life's accomplishments. We had no idea what lay in store. And we didn't find out until we were driving through the Yukon territory in Northern Canada. It was incredible to animals we say. Bighorn sheep, moose, buffalo, elk, black bear. It was all there. And the wildest thing about it was...we never had to leave our car. All these animals were right on the side of the road, begging to be gawked at.

So if you are really desperate to see wildlife, don't look for it where everyone else is, but rather take a turn north. You never know what you might find.