Be prepared for unexpected encounters

On a little side road near Aneth, Utah on the Navajo reservation, we drove around a corner and encountered six burros near the side of the road. We stopped to take a picture. I assumed they were feral and would run away, but they didn't.

The Boss burro ambled directly to my window and stuck his nose inside demanding a treat. In a well-practiced maneuver, one burro stationed himself in front, one on the off side, and one in back. The remaining burro was apparently an apprentice hijacker as he stood back watching the Boss burro's technique.

Unfortunately, we were not prepared for this and had nothing to give them. I tried to scratch his nose to make up but he snorted and walked away in disgust. The rest remained on station until I beeped the horn, then they wandered off.
We learned two things from this: 1. Always travel the back roads. 2. Carry a bag of apples and goodies for the creatures.

A few minutes later, we stopped to watch a small, motley herd of sheep and goats as they browsed their way along a roadside wash. The goats were browsing leaves from the brush and the sheep were getting a bite of grass here and there. They were escorted and kept together by two herding dogs. No person accompanied them. It seemed obvious that the dogs had a job to do; they take the sheep out in the morning and bring them back at night.

The animal encounters were definitely a highlight of our trip!

LOL love the pics!!