IDAHO SAFARI

December. Lonely Idaho highway. Raging blizzard. 

One unforgettable sight.

We are on our way to Sun Valley when we notice a small herd of antelope grazing on one side of the road. With no cars coming in either direction, we skid the truck to a stop to enjoy them.

{This wasn't the unforgettable sight. I haven't gotten to that part yet.}

As we sit there, we seem to gradually take in the fact that this is a lot more than a happy, little gathering of antelope. They are scattered, camouflaged by whirling snow, as far as the eye can see!

We do a lot of ooohing and ahhing and pointing...{but I still haven't reached the truly unforgettable part. Just hold on to your hats a second; I'll get there!}

After a few minutes, Andrew, glancing at the rear view mirror, announces that a semi truck is coming and we had better move on. Turning in my seat to locate the semi heading in our direction, something else catches my eye instead, and all I can do is gasp.

{This is the really incredible part, by the way. In case you were wonderin'.}

Over the white plains, on the other side of the road, swarm more antelope, thicker and more numerous than I ever would have expected to see in real life. Running full speed ahead, they snake behind us and course across the highway in a solid, steady stream. Think Discovery Channel. Planet Earth. African Serengeti. PBS special.

I'm talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds!

And hundreds.

{I looked it up, and it is not uncommon for the wintering herds in this area to reach 1,000 strong.}

Snow-packed roads make it near impossible for the semi truck to stop in time....its front bumper sliding within a couple feet of the stampede. It is an intense couple of seconds.

Antelope are North America's fastest running land animal, and it still takes a long time before they all reach the other side. What a view that trucker must have! I watch with my mouth hanging open for some time, before I come to my senses and realize three key things:

Number one. My name is Rachel Ashmore.
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Number two. There is a camera sitting in my lap.
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Number three. I am an obsessive-compulsive picture taker, who literally dreams of photo capturing opportunities such as this.


By the time my camera is frantically pointing in the right direction, all I have to show for it is an unfocused trickle of the last antelope scampering away.

Bah, Humbug.

And of course, Andrew's only regret is that he doesn't have his hunting rifle...


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