Page 33 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

Then, there was the coyote. We spotted her walking along a ridge.

Followed her around the ridge and found her luxuriating in the
prairie grasses above a prairie dog colony. We watched for 30

minutes but all she did was groom and intermittently doze. She

was waiting for the right time to go down to hunt.

Also watching her was a PBS crew photographing a special “Any
Wild Place” which will feature this Park. The segment is to air in

late November. If a man and woman riding horses waves at
passersby in the show – they were waving at us.

We left our dozing coyote and drove on. Suddenly, out of the grass
to our right ran a badger. A real, live badger. We had never seen

this secretive animal before. He also was heading for a prairie dog
village across the street. Those cute little guys are on everyone’s

menu.

The badger stopped some 50 feet from us and began furiously
digging into a prairie dog hole. No luck – so far. He wandered out

of sight.

We decided to go back to our coyote. We found her still lying

about in the grass where we had left her an hour before. After a
few more minutes, we decided that watching a coyote sleep had

lost its appeal so headed back to dinner, a Laundromat, and an
early night’s sleep.

On the way, we saw the same badger and he saw us. He rested on
a rock and just stared at us for a few moments and disappeared
again. Was there long enough for me to get a picture!

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