~ Mountain Lion's View ~
That's a ranch house you see on the valley floor below. Cattle graze down there, unaware of the danger above. People go about their daily work, oblivious to North America's largest cat. There are more than 40 names in English for this cat. Cougar, Puma, Painter, Mountain Lion...
A big male like this one can weigh 200 lbs, and stand 2.5' high at the shoulder. It's likely that he's bigger than you.
Its scream, reverbrating across the valley in the night air, will send a chill down the spine of the most seasoned outdoorsman.
I was hiking in the Sierrita Mountains southwest of Tucson, scaling a cliff face, when I found the opening you see in the photo below. Looking down, I could see light, and I followed it to this beautiful opening framing the valley floor 300' below. It's not as big as it seems; I took the photo laying on my back with the camera on my chest, and had some difficulty getting my big feet out of the photo. :) Once through the opening, I could stand on the ledge beyond, where you see the saguaro standing guard.
The closest most of us come to the natural world and its inhabitants is the Discovery Channel. Come visit Tucson! With four major mountain ranges, and thousands of miles of hiking trails, you'll find more adventure in a week than many folks experience in a lifetime.
Oh, and my photo of that Mountain Lion? I took that at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, just down the road from my home in the little community of Tucson Estates II. It's one of the world's 10 best zoos! Their motto is "Close to home; far from ordinary!" Come to think of it, that's what my Darlin' says about me!
_____________________
(I don't copyright my photos anymore.
I use them mostly for blogging
and creating greeting cards for friends.)
Right click on an image, copy and use it!
Click the Send Out Cards logo below.
Send a real card to someone you love.
(Card and postage are free ~ on me. Thanks for reading my blog.)
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage Bank
Offices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Nogales, and Albuquerque, NM.
Comments(28)