My day trip adventure to David Thompson country ended with a first time experience.  Last year, as we were leaving the area, a black wolf stepped out of the forest as we drove by.  That was a first time experience.  It was breathtaking.  This year's finale took my breath away as well.

I accompanied one of my sons on both outings.  We made lists of what we'd like to see.  The 2014 trip included bears, a blue heron, an eagle, a wolf and a cougar.  I live in a wilderness area and see moose, coyotes and deer almost everyday around home so I was wanting to see creatures that are not as common.

We did see the bear and the eagle which made for a successful trip.  When we go on a road trip, we both scan the ditches for signs of wildlife.  Matt was the lucky one to spot the bald eagle.  I spotted the black bear and kept looking for a blue heron at every pond and slough that we passed but had no luck.

As we said farewell to the mountains, left the foothills and headed for home, we continued our

search for the more common wildlife.  We rounded a curve in the highway.  A farm bordered it on the north and I caught sight of an owl perched on a fence post.  Both of us thought that it would be gone before we got turned around.  Lucky for us, it was still there.

Traffic was non-stop. We were close to a lake resort and everyone was headed home from a weekend away.  The noise did not scare the owl.  Matt creeped up on it.  It was a Great Grey and it must have wanted its picture taken.  We watched for more than 15 minutes, snapping more than a hundred photos each.  We've both seen Great Greys before but this time we were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime hunt, right before our eyes.

The owl clutched the top of the post with its talons and leaned down, looking and listening.  It swooped into the long grass beneath the post and came back up with a prize mouse in its beak.  It bent over to grab the mouse with its talons and began to rip at the mouse.  That must have been too much work. It took the mouse into its beak once more and swallowed it whole.  As it sat on the fence post, it appeared to 'smile' after its belly was full.

We could not believe our good fortune in witnessing this owl feeding.  We were only about 20 feet away from the post and the owl put on quite the reality show for us.  Now, that was entertainment at its best.  What a fantastic way to end our outdoor adventure day.