Duck Crossing

Salem, OR
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/4, 1/60s, ISO: 400

I grew up in Salem.  There's been a duck crossing sign over Mill Creek for as long as I can remember.  When I was a kid I thought it'd be great to life in the house by this sign.  The creek runs right through its back yard.  I mean, ducks in you back yard, can you imagine?

I live a block away from the Oakland/Alameda estuary in California now.  I see ducks there all through the winter.  We've even had a pair of living on our street off and on for the last few years.  It doesn't get old.

Black Bear Crossing

Interstate 5, Shasta County, CA
Canon PowerShot SD770 IS

This bear crossing sign can be found on Interstate Five between Redding and Mount Shasta.  I've never seen a bear in that area.  Without exaggeration, I've driven that stretch of road probably one hundred times.  I don't think I've ever seen a wild mammal of any kind through that stretch of road.  I'm always up for seeing a bear.

Golfer Crossing

Paradise Valley Golf Course, Fairfield, CA

I was in one of those golf carts and this sign didn't make me feel any safer about crossing this particular road.

Cowboy Crossing

Grand Teton National Park, WY
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/7.1, 1/60s, ISO: 100

I like the cowboy hat mods on horse crossing signs even better than the Rudolph noses on deer crossing signs.  This one looks like Butch Cassidy.  By the tilt of his hat we can clearly see that he's moseying.

Tractor Crossing

Livermore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 14-40mm f/4L USM, f/8, 1/80s, ISO: 100

Who doesn't love a tractor ride?  Saw this in Livermore on Friday and had to stop for a picture.

Rudolph Crossing

U.S. Route 89A. AZ

Crossing signs are so much more fun when they are customized, aren't they?  Pop art?  Found art?  Hmmm.  I dunno. I suspect Duchamp would approve.

Bison Crossing

Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Did you know that there are buffalo at the Grand Canyon?  I didn't, at least not until I saw this sign a few weeks ago.  They're not real American Bison, not full-blooded anyway.  They're bison/cattle hybrids, same as what you'd find at the Bison Paddock at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  They're not native to this area, or anywhere really.  I get the impression they're considered a nuisance by the Park folks, but I suspect tourists like them so they're probably tough to just get rid of.  Just guessing, mind you.

Ghost Rider Crossing

Grand Teton National Park, WY
Canon PowerShot SD770 IS

Remember in junior high when you'd get yourself up to a good speed on your bike and then jump off to see how far you could send your bike down that hill?  Ghost riding, right?  I guess there's a lot of that going on near Jenny Lake.  Doesn't seem like the likeliest of places.  There's no hills or jumps in the vicinity of this sign, anyway.

Cattle Crossing

Highway 89A, AZ
Canon Power Shot SD770 IS

Cows have to cross the road sometime, don't they?  We saw this crossing sign on our way up into the mountains leading to the Kaibab Plateau.  We didn't see any cattle, though.

Pig Crossing

California State Route 1, Carmel, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/100s, f/5.6, ISO: 100

Pig?  Hog?  Boar?  Feral?  Wild?  Whatever.  Just keep your eyes out for pork on the road when you're driving through Carmel.

Mountain Lion Crossing

Desert View Drive, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 1/40s, f/6.3, ISO: 100

I'm thinking this is one of the last signs you want to see if you have a flat tire.

This mountain lion crossing sign can be seen on Desert View Drive along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  It's a not-to-miss thirty mile stretch of road between the South and East entrances of the park.

For the record, I've never seen a mountain lion there.

Otter Crossing

Muir Woods National Monument, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/250s, f/4, ISO: 6400

This is the first entry in what I hope will be a fun little series of animals crossing signs that I come across.  I hesitated to start off with this sign or even include it at all because it isn't a permanent metal sign, but it does have the National Park and California State Park logos on it, so I figure it's official enough.  I've yet to see a river otter in the wild, so I drive extra slow through this stretch of road just in case.