Bighorn Sheep with the 55-250 STM

I drove home from Seattle today along I-90 eastbound. Vantage is a small town at the midway point between Seattle and Spokane where a herd of bighorn sheep make their home. I stopped to take a break in Vantage and decided to make a quick excursion to the outskirts of town where the sheep have been known to hang out. Lucky day! There were at least a dozen of them grazing the grass at the edge of town. They weren't very skittish, so I was able to get very close. I traveled light with my 80D and the 55-250 STM, which ended up being perfect for a sunny day where I didn't need a lot of reach. Such a joy to carry such a sharp and lightweight lens. The focal length range of 55-250mm makes for a perfect walk around lens with my 80D.  The last photo is taken with the Sigma 18-35 just to give you an idea of the terrain in area around Vantage Washington. The river in the photo is the mighty Columbia river.  The direction of my photo is looking West.

I actually found your last image the most interesting.  There is a lot of detail throughout the frame, and I was wondering about the change in hue of the rocks at the lower left-hand corner.  It appears to be geological.

According to my brother (who did much of the navigating), my family drove from Glacier National Park to Portland on a route that took us by Vantage on I-90.  That was June 1977, and at the tail end of a cross-country trip for our family from Hawaii.

I will have to find my way back there someday.  It sounds like a very interesting region.

Nice shots. That is a great little lens. Great bang for the buck!!

Good Stuff, Kelly, thanks! I live in Spokane Valley and make that run on a fairly regular basis. I need to plan to get out and explore the area a bit more rather than just driving through - I appreciate all of the info and links.

Marty