Fruita: Sharing our Campsite

After the 18 Hours race, Ben and I stuck around Fruita so we could take our time getting back to the hustle and bustle we know to be our day-to-day life. We stayed at the Highline Lake State Park campground again--the lake is where the race was held--but moved campsites to be a little closer to the water. After we set up we were sitting around contemplating our day and I heard what I thought to be an owl's hoot. (Have I ever mentioned my knack for seeing animals in the wild? I have this ridiculously primal gift of spotting wildlife: on the side of the road while driving, in the woods while running, on the hills while backpacking and yes, Ben, even soaring through the air--for instance, bald eagles. I guess should give partial credit to my sportsman father who would rather be in the woods or on a lake than inside... seriously, I've yet to meet another who competes with my dad's hunting obsession.  And to add some ironic cruelty to this almost impractical gift in this day and age, I don't even like the taste of fish or wild game.)  I pointed out the hoots to Ben who told me that yes, infact, there were some owls hanging around the campground. Well, lucky us, they were nesting in our campsite!

After a minute or two of owl-hunting, I spotted these two Great Horned Owl fledglings nesting right in our campsite! They were amazing! Although I've heard plenty, I can't remember ever having seen owls in the wild before this. We even saw them leave their nest around dusk, beginning the evening's hunt for food.

Our last day at camp, a couple drove up while B. and I were enjoying the morning sunlight and some camp coffee and asked about the owls. I pointed out the tree where they nested, and the bird watchers lugged their camera and a ridiculously long telescopic lens over to the tree, but the owls had not yet returned from their hunt. A couple of hours passed and as B. and I were finishing our run around Highline Lake, we spotted the couple still searching for those evasive fledglings. I smiled to myself, knowing although they are nesting right in a campground filled with people, you can still count yourself lucky to see them and even more fortunate to capture the images we did.