Trip to See the Eagles

31 Jan

Last year, we started what we hope will be a new tradition…going to see the eagles at Land Between The Lakes. We had a wonderful time last year and had been looking forward to doing it again this year. Well, a couple of Saturdays ago we sat out, all 6 of us + Stella (our Golden Retriever) in Josh’s truck for a fun afternoon.

We don’t take a paid tour…we just ask where the eagles are and then drive there ourselves (yes, we are cheap! But, with 4 kids and me staying home, I guess we will have to be:) We were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t get as close as last year. Last year, we were able to drive close to the water and then walk even right up to the small pond. We were able to watch them in their nests, dive to the water, and soar above our heads. This year, however, there must be some high-strung eagles at LBL because we were not allowed very close at all…guess we stressed them out last year:) The road was blocked off, so we had to go to a “viewing road” that was across a field and levee… Needless to say, we were a bit disappointed, but still enjoyed watching the majesty of them soaring through the air. At one point, I counted 11 soaring together and three white dots in the trees meaning their were three in their nests.

The kids LOVE getting out in nature, and they especially loved taking Stella with us! Caleb even got out to watch the eagles for a brief moment, but he didn’t care too much for the wind taking his breath away!

While at LBL, we had to do the Elk and Bison Prairie. For some reason, I have always loved to drive through and “hunt” for the elk and bison. This trip was a little more interesting than others because we had Stella in the back of the truck! And, what do you know, the elk and bison were both really close to the road!!! When we came up on the elk, she started barking and all the elk turned and looked at us. (Insert worried and crying children here…Brooke was worried about Stella getting hurt, but Landon assured us that he would run over the bison with the truck if they came after us:)

Josh got out and told her to hush, and she listened better than the kids…we didn’t hear another peep from her. As we approached the bison (that were walking in the road!) we were all ~~a little~~ okay, mostly a lot worried (except Josh, of course). Thankfully, Stella was quiet and the bison took no notice of her. Don’t really think I care to take a dog through a wild life trail again…it wasn’t near as relaxing, but it has been a great story for the kids to tell!