Yesterday, as we were driving through the Big Thompson Canyon, west of Loveland, Colorado, heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park these sheep could be seen from the road.

We stopped to photograph them, which was a first for me. Two ewes were along side the road and the other ewe was up the canyon wall about thirty feet.

Bighorn sheep are named for the large, curved horns borne by the rams (males). Ewes (females) also have horns, but they are shorter with less curvature. They range in color from light brown to grayish or dark, chocolate brown, with a white rump and lining on the backs of all four legs. (as described on the wikipedia web-site).

These images are of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep; they are large, with males occasionally exceeding 500 pounds and females exceeding 200 pounds.

The Big Thompson Canyon is beautiful and rugged. I hope these images give you a feel of how the canyon looks during the summer.  With all of our rain this spring and summer the lush grasses and other vegetation are plentiful. Good for them, good for us!