Seeing sheep in the strangest places

I'm just back from southern Utah, where spring is still way around the corner. Thank goodness I had my warm beret. But sheep did turn up in unexpected places...like Arches National Park, for instance. There, among the gorgeous red rock formations I came upon, yes, Sheep Rock. There it is, being guarded by the Three Gossips.

A few days later I took a day-long boat trip on the San Juan River, which cuts through 1000-foot canyons. Along the way we stopped to see a small cliff dwelling and centuries-old petroglyphs that included images of bighorn sheep. There were a few live ones visible on the riverbanks, too. But my favorite souvenir of the day was this little willow-twig sheep that Marcus Buck, the boatman/guide, made for me, like those that have been found in ancient cliff dwellings.