Faithfully Yours - Close encounters of the natural kind
- Details
- Published on Saturday, April 11, 2015
By Neil Strohscein
The Neepawa Banner
Shortly after my arrival in Neepawa, I boarded a Greyhound bus heading west. My destination was Cariboo School of the Bible in Quesnel, BC; where I was invited to be a guest lecturer.
I left Neepawa at noon, arriving in Edmonton, AB the following morning and transferred to a second bus that took me to Prince George, BC. From there, a third bus took me to Quesnel.
Our route took us through Jasper National Park. About 10 km east of Jasper, we came across a rather large herd of elk—about 80 to 100 cows and one bull. Our driver took one look at the scene ahead of us and hit the brakes. I soon realized why he did this.
Ahead of us was a Trucker With Inappropriate Tendencies (a TWIT). He was driving a Ford F-250 4x4. The accessories on his truck indicated that he was a “hot shot” driver doing a delivery run to a customer west of Jasper. But on this day, he decided to have some “fun” with the elk.
Most of the cows were on the south east side of the road. The bull, with about 10 cows was on the north west side of the road. He was desperately trying to get across the road, but the trucker kept cutting him off. Our bus driver backed off about half a kilometer, looked at me and said: “Keep an eye on what’s ahead. He may need witnesses if that bull suddenly takes after him.”
Fortunately, nothing happened. The trucker backed off. The bull crossed the road and the world of nature returned to normal. I was wishing I had a camera with me that day. I would have loved to snap a few pictures of that herd of elk. I haven’t seen anything like that since.
This is one of many exhilarating experiences I have had since moving to Manitoba.
I still vividly remember the three herds of deer I saw on several occasions in the spring of 2000 as I made my way along Hwy 10 then through Rivers en route to Virden to conduct Sunday services. Then there was the time I was driving south from Dauphin through Riding Mountain National Park and came upon a huge bull moose standing with two feet on the road and two in the ditch. He was in a good mood that day (I think) so I got by him without incident.
But my most memorable encounter with nature happened the evening Kathryn and I drove out to Clear Lake and came home on Hwy 19. Our animal count that night was 17 rabbits, six elk, three bears, two deer, one stray Charolais market steer and dozens of crows. We plan to make the same trip several times this summer, hoping for similar sightings (except for the stray steer, of course).
We who live in south western Manitoba are surrounded by nature’s beauty. We have lakes, forests, prairies, wetlands and a desert—all within an hour’s drive of our homes. And if we pick a spot, stop and sit quietly for a while, some of the creatures who live near by might suddenly emerge from the shadows and come by to say “Hello.” So be sure to take a camera.
As you reflect on the beauty you see before you, remember this. God provides each living thing (plant and animal) with the food, clothing and shelter it needs for that day. He will do the same for you. Put your faith in him. He will never let you down.
