Reply #11: One of the coolest things I ever saw.... [View All]

I was driving the backroads just south of Steamboat Springs. I was driving on a 2 lane dirt road up the side of a small hill. The road dropped off on my left down a couple hundred feet and overlooked a large valley with a little river bisecting it and stretching out for miles to the next mountain range. It was very early in the morning and I was just tooling along enjoying the morning when a golden eagle soared up on my left! It was only about 10-20 feet off the edge riding a thermal. It was HUGE and obviously not afraid of me. For what seemed like forever we paced each other up the mountain before he went above me and out of sight. I stopped immediately and grabbed my camera but he was headed over the ridge by then. I just stood there, heart beating fast, out of breath and in awe.

They are truly beautiful birds.