A Camp Story

We had a really long, cold, and particularly snowy winter here in Wyoming. It’s finally warming up, and we’re all super excited for camping season! (And also gardening!) Last year, we started our camping season off a little less than ideally. 

Here’s a story about that. I like to call it:

The Tale of the Tick

To be sure, he did not start off his day in a bid for fame and notoriety. He was just a small, unassuming American dog tick going about his usual business – looking for a bite. It was a cool and rainy day, and in the course of events, he happened to brush up against a young human girl who was trying to catch a fish. He thus began climbing up, searching for the perfect spot to hide and begin to feed. He didn’t make it… but he became a storied creature in the process.

Our family was all set to enjoy our first camping trip of the season. The weather forecast was rather foreboding (cold temperatures and around 2 inches of rain expected between when we were arriving and when we were heading home), but we opted to keep our reservation anyway. We arrived and got everything set up just before it started to rain, thankfully. The evening was cool, gray, and drizzly, but not too bad overall. 

The fishing crew.

PJ and the kids spent a good part of the time fishing, then we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire for a late supper before getting ready for bed. We were all feeling pretty damp by then, but the camper was dry and warm and everyone fell asleep fairly quickly. It rained overnight, too. I know because one of the dogs woke me up at 3am and I could hear it on the roof. Fortunately, I was able to convince her to lay back down, because going outside to wander around in my pjs in the cold rain at 3am trying to find her the perfect spot to relieve herself (she’s picky…) didn’t sound appealing at all. I eventually got up with both dogs at 6:30 and took them out for a walk. It was still just drizzly when I left the campsite, but by the time I got back, the rain was picking up.

Now, it typically doesn’t really rain very much in Wyoming, especially in the summers. So, while we’ve had rain while camping before, it has always been a shower that lasted a few hours at most. We camp in a pop up – all six of us and the two dogs. It’s normally enough space, because we don’t really spend much time in the camper other than to sleep, and if need be, we can all hang out around the table and play games while the inclement weather moves on. This day was different. Once it picked up around 7-7:30am, it didn’t stop all day long, except for some brief times where the weather would tease you into coming outside, only to proceed to soak you again.

Met some of the locals.

It was a holiday weekend, and the campground was pretty full when we arrived. By mid-morning, almost everyone had cleared out – chased off early by the rain. In fact, besides us, there was only one other camper in our section, and it was right next to ours.

The park was putting on a kids’ wildlife/outdoor event in one of the pavilions, which we attended, then went for a drive before making a late lunch. 

Little bit of sunshine on a rainy day (Western Meadowlark).

After we ate, PJ started in making hot chocolate for the kids, who were all sitting around the pedestal-style table playing games. I was having second thoughts about this arrangement – mostly because the aforementioned table is about as steady as a toddler who’s trying to stand on one leg – but anyway, it was cold and dreary and hot chocolate sounded good. Two or three of the kids had their drinks setting on the table, and PJ was making the rest, when Mountain Girl (our older daughter) felt something crawling on her neck, asked her brother what it was, and proceeded to stand up out of her seat and scream bloody murder upon the reply, “Oh, it’s a tick!”

Abject. Chaos. Ensued.

MG was screaming at the top of her lungs and didn’t seem to be pausing to take a breath at all. The younger two kids were also shrieking and/or crying (from the shock of it all, most likely). Our oldest son was shouting for everyone to calm down. PJ was removing the tick (which wasn’t even attached). I was shouting, “What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?!” because somehow I missed the proclamation of “tick” and thought that she had burned herself with the hot chocolate. Next, MG begins wriggling and squirming because now she thinks she feels things crawling all over her and is just freaking out about it. I’m all, “Everyone hold their hot chocolate!” because I know what’s going to happen if the table gets bumped even one time… but in trying to pick up the hot chocolate, youngest daughter knocks hers over, and then another one spills, too. There is hot chocolate on people, on the table, on the games, the floor, and the seat cushions. In the course of cleaning things up, I decided to pitch the chocolate-soaked games, which set off a whole new round of wailing. It took a while for things to get back to normal…

The next day, our site neighbor joined us at our campfire for some conversation. Of course, someone asked her if she had heard the screaming the day before. She did (not sure how she could have missed it). In fact, it was enough to cause her and her friend (a nurse, incidentally) to leave their card game momentarily and check out the window of their camper. They said that they were concerned that someone was hurt, but after a moment they heard laughter and decided that everything must be okay. We were all okay… but also, none of us remember laughing. Hysterical wailing, yes. Laughing, not so much. 

In spite of everything, we stayed for the entire length of our reservation. Made a lot of memories for sure, and learned a few things (I think this is when we first realized that we’d begun to outgrow our compact little camper, which we bought several years ago when the kids were quite a bit smaller). As we were leaving, the sun finally started to peak out from behind the clouds (of course).

Larkspur.

It has been almost an entire year now since that fateful day. We just recently went on a hike in the Black Hills this spring. I warned everyone ahead of time, because I had read that the area has a lot of ticks in the spring and early summer. They weren’t kidding. The ticks were so thick that you could actually see them hanging onto the blades of dry grass along the trail. Got through the “I want to go back to the car!” freak out of the first half-mile with NO screaming, and went on to hike about six miles total. Picked a couple ticks off of our clothing that day, but not even the dogs had one latch on, so that was a plus.

Enjoy all your summer adventures, and try to stay calm in the face of ticks! 😉

 

Jonah, Me, and the Power of God

As I worked on this post a few days ago, the wind was howling and snow was swirling around the streetlights outside. Quite a drastic change from the day before, which had been a warm and gorgeous fall day. It often snows earlier than this, but we have actually enjoyed quite a mild fall so far this year. In fact, we just had our first frost within the last few weeks (about a month later than average). The leaves on the trees were slower to change, and stayed in color for longer than usual (or at least it seemed that way), though the pictures in this post were taken when things were past their peak.

We were on a walk a few weeks ago, enjoying the leaves, when PJ offhandedly commented to me that, “You haven’t written anything in a while.” I think I replied with something about us having been so busy over the past months, which was not untrue. In fact, I could list off any number of excuses as to why I haven’t been writing. Chiefly, though, the truth is that I just haven’t felt like it! I’ve lacked inspiration and motivation… and when you add that to the fact that it has been difficult to carve out time to sit down and start something, well, you see the result when you look at the date of my last post.

PJ’s remark was rather timely, though. I had, in fact, spent the previous several days mulling over a thought that I had while listening to the discussion at our most recent church Bible study, and writing about it was already something I was considering (albeit lightly). After his comment, he had gone on to suggest that I write about the adventures he has been having and the lessons he has been learning while working with a friend’s horse lately. Maybe I can convince him to write that post himself. 😉

Anyway, in the study I mentioned, we have been talking about different individuals from the Bible (most recently Jonah) in light of the overarching theme of hope. I like revisiting the familiar “Sunday School” stories from the Bible as an adult. You know – Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Noah’s Ark, the Fiery Furnace, and the like. I think I was a bit dismissive of them (in a sort of “I already know that story” type of way) during my teen and young adult years. I probably believed that I needed to move on to “deeper” things and put those child-friendly stories aside. But when you go back and reread those familiar tales – really digging into the scriptures this time, as well as using trusted resources to learn more about the customs and culture of those time periods – you start to pick out new details and notice things you never noticed before. What you “already knew” can take on a whole new light, and you may be surprised how God can use these “familiar” things to speak to you in a very personal way. They’re really not just for the kids!

Back to Jonah. You know the guy – tried to run from God, got swallowed up by a big fish and spit out – alive – three days later. He’s got a whole book in the Bible dedicated to his story and bearing his name. (If you haven’t read it recently, now is a great time to do it! It’s a short book – only four chapters. I’ll wait.)

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟

Finished? Great! 😁 So, this guy, Jonah. He is listed among the minor prophets of the Old Testament. As a prophet, he has the task of bringing the word of the Lord to the people, and God says to him, “Hey, I’ve got something you need to tell the people in the city of Nineveh.” Jonah doesn’t like this (he’s apparently got some history with the Ninevites), and he tries to run from God by boarding a ship that is headed in pretty much the exact opposite direction of where he is supposed to be going. The ship goes out with Jonah on board, and it isn’t too long before they run into trouble. A storm is threatening to break apart the boat and swamp them all. The sailors cast lots to see whose fault the storm is, and the lot falls to Jonah. At this point, he admits to them that he is running away from God. In light of his whole story, I find it very interesting how he describes God to them.

“So they (the sailors) asked him (Jonah), ‘Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?’ He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’”

– Jonah 1: 8-9 NIV (parentheses mine)

Jonah isn’t ignorant of the power of God. His very own words prove it. He clearly knows who God is. And yet, despite that, he still tries to take off and escape from what God asked him to do. Eventually, this ends up with him getting thrown into the sea, being swallowed by a fish that God provides to save his life, and living in the fish’s belly for three days. The Bible records a fairly short prayer of Jonah's from his time inside the belly of the fish, but I have a feeling he actually spent the entire three days conversing with the Lord. Eventually, God tells the fish to spit Jonah out, and he gets vomited up onto dry land. Imagine how it would feel to see the sunlight and feel solid ground under your feet again after an experience like that! The second time God asks Jonah to go to Nineveh, he does it. No more fish stomach time-outs for him… but we’re not quite done yet, either. So Jonah goes and passes along the word of warning from God for the city, and the people do a serious about-face and repent whole-heartedly. Because of this, God relents and does not destroy the city. The last chapter of Jonah begins with these words, “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong…” Yeah, God didn’t do what Jonah thought He should, and in response to this, we see Jonah’s fleshly nature rising up again. He basically throws a fit because he is angry that God is merciful to people that (he feels) don’t deserve that kind of compassion (…never mind that he, himself, has also been an undeserving recipient of God’s grace). He then isolates himself outside the city to watch and see if God changes His mind and destroys Nineveh anyway. God is still patient, but firm, as He then tries to guide Jonah to a deeper understanding of Him.

I’ve often wondered why Jonah thought it would be reasonable, or even possible, to run from God’s clear call on his life. Sure, I know that people in modern days, myself included, have been known to outright rebel against (or more subtly try to avoid) what we know God is asking of us… but Jonah lived in Old Testament times. Totally different situation, right? I mean, they talked directly with God, and we… oh.

Yeah… so… I guess people are human now, and people were human then, too. The people and the stories in the Bible become more relatable when we remember that fact and can avoid either “de-humanizing” them (thinking of them as emotionless puppets) or going to the other extreme and putting them on some sort of idealistic pedestal.

When I was summarizing Jonah’s story above, I may have sounded like I was being hard on him. However, I hope you realize that he really wasn’t all that much different from you or I, right down to being self-serving, prideful, and even at times thinking he probably knew better than God how to handle a situation. All of these are things that most human beings are prone to. So, the thought I had during our Bible study was this: I wonder if Jonah (human as I am) was guilty of doing something else that I tend to do probably even more often than I realize – diminishing the power of God in my own mind.

Jonah knew God. I know God, too, right? I go to church, pray, and read my Bible (though not as frequently as I ought to). I share Him with others – blogging, talking with friends, sharing a worship song I appreciate, or a book I read, praying for someone, etc. The thing is, when troubles come in my life, I am so quick to allow myself to be consumed by worry. Yes, I’ll pray about the situation. Yes, I’ll say (and even believe!) that I’m trusting God. But many times, my thought life reveals a different story altogether. In my own mind, I’m not displaying trust. I’m worrying! I’m panicking! I’m an anxiety-ridden mess on the inside… but why? I know of God’s power. I know who He is. I have experienced His faithfulness in the past. I know that He is trustworthy and good. So why am I behaving like I don’t know these things and have never heard them before in my life? In my mind – somewhere between my knowledge of God and my fear of what I can’t control – I’ve downplayed God’s power. Instead of taking a stand on what I know and believe, I’ve allowed Satan’s influence to seep in and cause me to question and doubt. Instead of praying and truly trusting… I’m praying and wondering. I’m acting as if I do not believe what I say I believe – just like Jonah did. Instead of acting upon what I know, I’ve tried to flee to a far-off city, the storm is raging, and I’m telling the people with me that my God is the creator of heaven and earth EVEN THOUGH I’m acting like maybe I think I created it all, instead. (In case you’re wondering – yes, I winced as I wrote that. Thought about retracing my steps and deleting it, but then decided that, yes, it probably was pretty accurate and I should leave it as is. Ouch.)

The challenge that Jonah and I (and you!) face is learning how to die to self Every. Single. Day. This is, without a doubt, going to be a process. We’re going to do well at times, and at other times we’re going to fail. It is going to be something we’ll mostly likely be working on for the rest of our lives, and that’s because it goes against our very nature. Human nature makes it all about ME, but the story of the world is about HIM.

Want to hear something encouraging? God saw fit to use Jonah to be his messenger, and make no mistake – He knew Jonah’s character. God knew it even better than Jonah knew it himself, and yet He still chose to send an imperfect servant forth to spread His word. Just the same, God knows ME. God knows us ALL. Every last bit! Our pastor likes to say that there is one thing that God cannot do: God cannot find a perfect person to carry out His work. And yet, knowing what He does, He still chooses us to be His hands and feet in the world. How amazing is that?! What an awesome responsibility we have been given. It should truly humble us.

The account of Jonah in the Bible ends rather abruptly. Where did he go from there? Did he mature in his faith after Nineveh, or did he continue to struggle? We may not know the end of Jonah’s story, but we do have a say in what happens in our story. There is a choice to be made every single day we wake up, and it begins in our mind. Will we acknowledge God’s authority, or will we make an attempt to diminish His position in our lives and in the world? I’m so thankful that God is patient with us when we make poor choices, just as He was with Jonah, aren’t you? He won’t just hang us out to dry and move on to the next person, but it is important to swallow our pride and maintain a teachable attitude. Hardened clay cannot be modeled.

The Creator of the universe loves and values you. He doesn’t look down on you, but walks with you. He tasks you with the most important job ever – leading others to know Him through your words and actions – and He never fails to support you through it all. Be encouraged, and be blessed.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

-Ephesians 4: 22-24 (NIV)

 

*Photos taken by me on Hell Canyon Trail in South Dakota's Black Hills.

 **Scripture references taken from the NIV Bible unless otherwise mentioned.

God in the Details

It's so easy to get distracted by the big things in nature - isn't it? Our attention is drawn by the things that stand out. A towering storm cloud. An enormous tree. A snow-capped mountain range. Even in our lives, sometimes all we can see is the "mountain" in front of us, and it can feel overwhelming.

On a recent camping trip, we found these tiny land snails - no bigger than a child's fingernail. There were fantastic views of grand landscapes, too (we were in the Black Hills of South Dakota), but what really caught my attention were the snails. We found them underneath rocks, and we could have easily walked past them for the entire trip and never known they were there. Such a small, seemingly insignificant thing when viewed against the enormity of the area they live in... and yet, they were so perfectly detailed. The beautiful patterns in their shells, the intricacies of their colors, the role they play in the ecosystem, and the daintiness of their tiny bodies... It really made me think.

 

God cared about a tiny snail, that many people will never see, enough to make it perfect. He is present in every area of our lives, and He cares about even the tiny details. In fact, Psalm 37: 23 says that He delights in the details of our lives. So many times, God provides something in our lives just to make us smile - a sunset, the song of a bird, an unexpected blessing "just because." And yet, when we are facing a mountain of some type, many times all we can see is the difficulty. We see the bills and don't know how they will be paid. We see the struggle and don't know how we will overcome it. We see the pain and don't know how we will heal. 

 

God shows us a bit of His glory in His creation - in the details - maybe so that we will see and remember that He cares about every detail of our lives. Look for the small things - look, and remember. God is here. He is with us. We need not worry.

Watch Your Step!

Our family logged quite a few miles on foot during the last week and a half. We had visitors in town and took the opportunity to get outside and go exploring. Our wanderings took us from the mountains to the prairies and various places in between. 

 

We had been doing 2-4 miles at a time, but (unintentionally) saved our longest hike for the last day of the visit. By the time we hit the trail yesterday we had already logged more than 15 miles, and we added 5 more by the end of the day. The kids did great overall, but we definitely noticed signs of tiredness from our youngest in particular. By the time we got back to the trailhead in the afternoon, she had tripped, stumbled, and fallen down countless times, and needed to be carried for some of the journey to give her tired legs a break.

 

Today we're getting back into our usual routine, but I've still got hiking on the brain. In between the everyday stuff, I've been going through the many, many photos I took on our expeditions. This one has got to be one of my favorites. I love how the path winds through the grove of aspens. It was even more pretty in person.

 

Whether speaking of hiking, or of life in general, it's vital to keep watch over where your feet are headed. Our daughter's fatigue contributed to her stumbling as we got farther down the trail because she was less careful about where she was stepping than she had been at first. In our lives, sometimes we get tired, too. Or we just let down our guard, or become complacent. Sometimes we even intentionally overlook the hazards in our path - our misguided thinking convincing us that it will still be okay if we head that way. I love how this verse from Proverbs reminds us to choose our path and place our steps with care; and I'm grateful for the promise of God's redeeming grace for the times when we do stumble and fall.

 

Christmastime in Wyoming

We have been in our new house for more than a month now, and we are finally past the worst of the unpacking-after-moving stage. Only a few unpacked boxes remain, and I also have some organizing to do in a few rooms. The office/school room is seriously a problem right now, as is the master bedroom. Ugh. However, having gotten most of it behind us, we’ve been able to take some time off for family fun again. A few weeks ago we went into the mountains to cut our Christmas tree. Cutting a wild tree has become a family tradition for us, and it’s one of the things I love about living here in Wyoming. For $8-10 or so (depending on the area), you can buy a permit from the National Forest Service to cut a Christmas tree.

This year we went to a new, unfamiliar spot, so we ended up hiking for a much longer time than we usually do to find our tree. It was a gorgeous day, though, and considerably warmer than some other tree hunts we’ve been on, so we didn’t really mind.

After we had selected a tree, and were just starting to cut it down, our oldest son asked if we had straps to tie it to the roof of the vehicle. “Yes,” I answered confidently, “Dad has straps in the car.” He got a stricken look on his face… then asked if they had been in a cardboard box. “Yes, in the back of the car,” PJ said. As it turns out, PJ had a bunch of empty moving boxes in the back of his car that he was going to haul away but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. So that afternoon, before we left to go to the mountain, he had asked our son to get ALL the cardboard boxes out of his car and move them over to my car. Which he did... and consequently, we now had no straps! Oops! Fortunately, with some creative jockeying, we managed to get our 8-foot-tall Christmas tree INSIDE the car and home we went. 😁

It’s been fun getting our new home all decorated for Christmas. We put up the tree, and some lights, and other decorations. We set up our nativity and the Christmas advent/countdown calendar for the kids. We hung the stockings on the wall (had to give up our nice fireplace mantle when we moved). It feels all comfy and cozy to me. I love seeing all the decorations. Sometimes I wish I could leave them up all year, but then they wouldn’t feel as special, either.

Earlier this week we wrapped up another pre-Christmas visit with my in-laws. They’ve been able to come out to visit us every year at this time, and again in the summer, for a good number of years now. We also got to see my parents twice this year, most recently this fall shortly before we moved. The kids always look forward to seeing Grandpa and Grandma! We were supposed to travel to spend last Christmas back east with everyone, but changed our plans and decided to go in the spring and then, for various reasons, that trip actually never ended up happening. So it was a real blessing to get to see them all, especially with the craziness that has been 2020.

This was our first time hosting anyone in our new home. It was definitely different, as we do not have a dedicated guest room at our place anymore. Despite that, it was comfortable and actually felt less crowded than it did when we had guests at our former residence. This house has a more open floor plan, and more space in the kitchen and dining area, so I think that’s a large part of why it felt less like we were bunched together all day.

PJ’s parents hadn’t really spent any time in this part of Wyoming before, so they were looking forward to exploring the area a bit. The weather was cold and snowy for much of the time they were here, and we had lots of inside activities to do (like making Christmas cookies!), so we didn’t do a whole lot outside. We did, however, take them to Devil’s Tower on one of the nicer days. Our family had been to Devil’s Tower once before, though the younger kids were pretty small and didn’t remember it. Our guests had never been there. If you’ve never been, you should definitely take the opportunity if you’re ever in the area. The tower is much more impressive in person than it even is in pictures. Signs on the trail explain some of the geology and history of the area. It’s very interesting. It is also located in a very pretty part of the state (watch for deer on the roads, though, there are a LOT in the area).

It was cold the day we went, but the trail around the tower was clear of snow and ice, and it was still a nice day despite the temperature. (Last time we went it was around the same time of year, but the trail was icy and slick so it wasn’t as nice.) There was only one other car in the parking lot when we pulled in. When we were partway up the trail we saw a couple other cars pull in, but those people must have only gone to the base of the tower because we never actually saw them.

We walked about 1 ¾ miles from our car, around the tower trail, and back. We took about 45 minutes to do so, because we stopped a lot to look at things and take pictures. During that time, we saw five whitetail deer, a few red squirrels, some birds, and only two other people. It was really nice! We felt like we had the place to ourselves.

We saw another car or two just as we were leaving. I think this National Monument is open all year round, but I’m sure it’s much, much busier in the summer than it is in the winter. We saw some more hiking trails we’d like to check out when it warms up, so we’ll be back again.

One of the things I like best is how different the tower looks from all sides as you go around it.

You’re up on a hill, so there are some great views, too.

Lots of people come to climb the tower. I never intend on doing that. Yikes! I’ll keep my feet on the ground, thank you. This is an old stake ladder that you can see through some viewing tubes along the tower trail.

Can you imagine going up that thing? It’s not close to the ground, either. It’s partway up the side of the tower.

After you go past the entrance station, as you come into the area around the tower, there is a prairie dog town there beside the road. We had planned to stop and watch the critters for a bit, but we didn’t see a single one. This caused the kids to wonder if prairie dogs hibernate. No one in the car knew the answer for sure, which led to the kids doing some spontaneous research when we got home. (Spoiler alert – they don’t hibernate, but they also don’t come outside much when it’s too cold.)

There was a big storm predicted for the east coast right when our guests were supposed to head home, so they ended up staying for an extra day to avoid the worst of it. None of us minded the extra time with them! Now that they are back home we are working on getting back into our regular routine, and I am catching up on a bunch of laundry that I let go while they were here. My poor washing machine… 😵

The Christmas season is one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing the decorations and lights. I like listening to Christmas music and taking part in various holiday activities. I look forward to celebrating advent with our family. It can be a time of mixed emotions for many people though, myself notwithstanding. This year has been especially challenging. Having just moved, I am missing friends and being involved in some of the local activities we traditionally participated in. Last Christmas was also a pretty tumultuous time for me personally, and I can often be triggered by unhappy memories these days. This past Sunday, our pastor said something in his message that really struck me. He was talking about a time when he had to make a long drive through a white-out blizzard. He wanted to stop, but had to press on because it was more dangerous to pull over than it was to keep going. All of a sudden, he drove out of the storm and it was a sunny day. He could see the storm clouds in the rearview mirror. He said that having driven through something like that and come out of it, no one would willingly turn around and go back into it – they’d keep driving forward on the good road. Yet often times when we go through a storm in our lives we keep going back and reliving it. Essentially, his point was that there’s no reason to go back. We should continue moving forward and moving on with our life. Leave the storm behind. Walk in the sun. He also talked about how sometimes we can pray and pray and pray for something and feel like we’re never going to get an answer, and then suddenly God moves and does a miracle. Our circumstances can change in an instant and suddenly the storm is over. His message was an advent message, and I can’t hardly even tell you how this story related to all the rest of his message because it’s just the one part that stuck with me. While I cannot stop myself from remembering things from the past, I can choose how they affect me. It’s just too easy to let a memory cause me to turn around and mentally put myself back into the stormy place. Painful experiences in the past don't have to result in a lifetime of misery. I need to make a decision to see the memory through the rearview mirror of my mind and move forward anyway. Some days are better than others. Some memories are easier to move on from than others. It’s a process, and I’m learning (slowly). I'm so thankful that God empowers us to walk in freedom if we will set our mind on Him.

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death,

but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

- Romans 8: 6 (ESV)

Awesome Antelope

This year PJ and I were blessed to be able to go antelope hunting for the first time. We both harvested an antelope buck, but this post isn't really about the harvest - it's more about the experience and about the animals. It's about getting outside in the high desert of Wyoming and seeing plenty of wildlife. PJ and I enjoy hunting, but even more than that, we hunt mainly to provide meat for our family. Game meat provides a lean, healthy, and fairly economical source of protein for us. We butchered both antelope ourselves and all the meat is in our freezer now. Hunting gets us out into God's creation, enjoying areas we might otherwise just drive right past. So, regardless of your views on hunting, I hope you can enjoy this post!

PJ has hunted archery before, but this was my first time going out in archery season for any animal. (PJ harvested his buck in archery, but I got mine in rifle season.) It won't be the last time for me! Archery season is so much quieter. You can hear so much more. I've seen antelope plenty of times - driving past them in the car. But I never, ever HEARD an antelope before this fall. You'd think these animals are completely quiet, but get close enough and you'll discover that they sure make some really interesting noises! They have a call (that apparently means "something isn't quite right") that sounds like a buzzing honk/wheeze. That's the best I can describe it. You'll just have to come hear it for yourself!

The animal that we call "antelope" is technically not a true antelope. It's proper name is Pronghorn but not too many people out here actually call it that. In fact, if you want to hunt one you will apply for an antelope license, not a pronghorn license. Among many people here they are somewhat affectionately known as "speed goats". Males (bucks) have horns (not antlers). Females (does) can have horns too, but the horns on the doe are typically very small. A buck is identified by his large, pronged horns and black cheek patch. One thing that makes an antelope unique is that it actually sheds its horns each year, where horned animals typically do not shed their headgear. The horn is actually compressed hair. Pretty interesting.

These are a couple of shed horn sheaths.

We took a crash course in field judging antelope from our friend who was hunting with us. From what I can tell, this is a pretty good buck:

Definitely larger than the average bucks that we saw. You can see the "prongs" on the horns which give them their proper name. Each buck can be pretty unique. You can have individuals like that guy where the horns curve towards each other in the center, nearly touching each other. You can have ones where the horns stand more straight up, or ones where they are laid out more towards the sides.

You can even have some like this fellow below!

In this picture (below), you can take a pretty good look at another interesting physical feature of this animal - its mane. The mane on an antelope is a line of darker, longer hair that runs up the back of its neck.

These are very wary animals, and they see danger pretty much everywhere. And they are fast. Sneaking up on one is no easy task! One part of what made the hunt so fun is that we saw so many animals! Probably hundreds of antelope just in the relatively small area in which we were hunting. Get too close too quickly and this is the view you'll get:

This isn't a super good picture, but if you look you can kind of see that they puff out their white, uh, bottoms when they are alarmed. I'm assuming this is an alarm signal to other antelope, much the same as the way a whitetail deer flags its tail when it is running away from a perceived threat.

You'd think, until you actually get out there and start walking it, that the area in which these guys live is fairly flat. It looked mostly flat where we were hunting. But as you start walking across that "flat" landscape you start to find hills and valleys and ravines that you had no idea were there. And there are usually more antelope around every corner too.

The antelope fawns in this picture (above) are already a few months old. Really little antelope fawns are my favorite wildlife babies. They are just really, really cute. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of a really small one, so you'll have to consult the internet if you want to see one. :)

We also came across a den of fox kits. They were awfully cute, and not really afraid. We happened to spot them while we were driving and we sat in the car and watched them for a minute or two before they decided they'd better head for cover. Three of them went down into the den. The fourth got spooked when we started driving and took off the opposite direction from the den. We were driving on the road, but he must have thought we were coming right behind him through the sagebrush because he was ducking and weaving all over in an attempt to get away (from something that wasn't even chasing him). It looked so funny. Their tail is as big as their body and we could just see that big, fluffy tail darting around wildly between the sagebrush and weeds.

I apologize for the quality of the next two pictures, but the yawn and the stretch were so cute (even if they turned out horribly out of focus and the color is all wonky).

Thankfully I did get a couple of better shots, too!

We saw lots of birds too, and heard even more than we saw. One time when we were walking we spooked a great-horned owl out of a tree. They are so amazingly silent when they fly. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get a picture.

Our hunting trips this year were the first times that PJ and I left the kids with someone else overnight in at least five or six years (maybe ever), and it was great. I love being with my kids, but it was definitely nice to have some time alone with my husband again. We spent a lot of time talking, and we realized that it was the first time in a really long time that we had been able to carry on an extended conversation without being interrupted!  It got me remembering a little of what life had been like during the first few years of our marriage... What was that, like, a century ago now? Haha.

We spent one night camping in the back of our truck. It was really uncomfortable and cold, and the moon was so bright that we had a terrible time falling asleep. And I should have thought to use the facilities before I got into the back of the truck, because trying to crawl out of the back window was even worse than crawling in had been. (PJ was laughing at me mercilessly.) But as I stepped out of the truck and into the silence of that place at night and took in a deep breath of that fresh, crisp air... it was as if I was breathing in peace itself. I just stood there and let it soak into my soul. Breathe out, and the tension went with it. There is just nothing like a quiet wild place to restore your soul - a place where you can actually be still, and the pressures of the world and of your daily life can wait until tomorrow while you relax and connect with God in the glorious wonder of His creation. Take in a sunset. Take in a sunrise. Breathe. And know that God is good.

God made the wild animals according to their kinds, 

the livestock according to their kinds, 

and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. 

And God saw that it was good.

-Genesis 1: 25 (NIV)