[Timetrvlr]

We rounded a sharp curve on a back country, unfenced road and spotted six donkeys beside the road. I stopped so we could watch them, fully expecting them to bolt and gallop away. That didn’t happen, in a smooth well-practiced move, one crossed in front and stationed himself by the passenger door, one in front of the car, one behind, and two stuck their noses into the driver’s window. They made it clear they were not there for petting but expected to extort some delicacies from us as toll payment. Alas, we had nothing to their disgust, and they finally wandered away. Next time take a bag of apples!

I snapped this photo while on vacation in the high desert of southern Utah. As you can see from the scenery in the rear view mirror, there isn't much to eat in the local landscape.

[roddy32]

That is neat. Looks like he enjoys being photographed.

[Timetrvlr]

Spectacular scenery on that vacation but the really memorable events were the natives we met and the animals we encountered. A half-hour before the donkey encounter, we stopped for gas at Aneth, Utah, a trading post on the Ute reservation. There two pasty-white Canadians met a sun-bronzed Ute cowboy. Our mutual curiosity quickly developed into a friendly conversation of shared experiences.

Later, the same day, we encountered a mixed flock of sheep and goats spread across a fenced highway. Two Navajo shepherds and two dogs were attempting to get them all back into pasture as a thunderstorm whipped through adding to the confusion. What was astonishing to me was that one of the dogs was inside the herd and appeared to be leading the sheep. The other dog was at the rear bringing up strays.

[roddy32]

We did a trip out there when I was a kid for 3 weeks. Utah, Wyoming, etc. I loved it and would like to go back some day but I doubt that will ever happen. We had a big tent that my dad had to set up every night. I think he was at the end of his rope after driving that long distance, setting up the tent every night and putting up with my mother, 3 kids and the dog, all of which wanted to see different things.

[Timetrvlr]

Tent camping; we did a lot of that back in the sixties when the kids were little. Us, three kids, a dog and a cat One time we even took along two pet ducks to the lake. Lots of fun but after the kids were grown, I never wanted to camp again!



This is one of my favorites, Spider Rock, a sandstone spire 800 feet high in Canyon De Chelly. See the white on top? Navajo legend has it that Spider Woman lives there. She was one of the Holy People that taught the Navajo to weave. Sometimes Navajo mothers tell a naughty child that they had better be good or Spider Woman will come take them away to live with her atop Spider Rock. They say the white spot is the bleached bones of naughty children.

[roddy32]

Our trip was either 1959 or 1960. I don't remember exactly. LOL