Animals

I didn't stop to take pictures of animals along the trail, but I did see a great variety of them. The pioneers first encountered bison about midway through Nebraska, though there are none roaming freely there today. I saw many wild turkeys, pheasants, geese, quail and other birds, even a couple of eagles. I saw only a couple of deer, but many pronghorn (antelope), especially in Wyoming. I even saw a mother pronghorn with two very small babies. By the time I got to western Nebraska, every trail site had warning signs about rattlesnakes (another reason to not go out hiking in the brush by myself). Actually, rattlesnakes were not a big problem for the emmigrants in the wagon trains. These snakes are quite shy, not very fast and can't strike from any distance. They are also deaf, so backing away from one very slowly is considered effective at preventing a problem. I did see three rattlesnakes on one of the dirt roads I was driving on last Thursday.