Animal Magnetism in the Grand Canyon

An elk bull and his harem watch us as we take photos from the car.

An endangered condor, marked with the number 33, perches on a ledge.

Mules ascend after a day of delivering people to the bottom of the Canyon.

A ground squirrel watches the tourists. (Photo by Roxanne)

Me, Maggie and Roxanne join the other human animals in recording the spectacle.

We rest in Sedona after a long jeep ride and climb up a hill.

Ever since we moved into the mountains, I am constantly reminded of the presence of nature, from the hummingbird that flits among the Ponderosa pine tree in front of the house to the owl that hoots at night and the occasional javelina -- wild pig -- that runs across the dirt roads.

Yesterday I saw an astonishing sight while walking my dog Lucky when two coyotes leaped one after the other out of tall winter grasses, across a road, and back into the tall grass on the other side in a balletic movement, their long legs and lean bodies gracefully landing out of view. They're rarely seen during the day, but they must have been curious about the large golden creature they'd glimpsed through the grass.

When I went to the Grand Canyon with Andy, Maggie and Roxanne recently, I was surprised at how much wildlife popped into view, in spite of the traffic and large numbers of people passing through. It was as though they were as interested in seeing us as we were in seeing them. The elk, which paused for about five minutes by the road leading away from the Grand Canyon, peered shyly toward us before they headed off into the woods.

Being close to nature feels like being closer to God, who created everything, and saw that it was good.