Moose and elk make appearance in the Rockies

My first elk!

I may be sitting on a beach in Peru, but there are some photos of moose and elk that are itching to be posted.

Before we headed to South America, we had four fantastic days in Denver Colorado staying with a long-time friend.

He loves the Rockies (which are on his doorstep) but  hadn’t been there for quite a while. His back was injured more than two years ago, and it has made driving impossible for him. Even riding is difficult.

But I can drive, so was quite happy to climb behind the wheel of his Jeep for a day’s outing to the nearby Rockies. To be on the safe side, my friend even renewed the Jeep’s insurance for a few days, so we were all legal.

A funny thing happened at the entrance to the Rockies. Park admission is $20 a vehicle (and good for a week), but when we asked if there was a senior’s rate, the woman offered me a lifetime entrance permit for just $10. Only one catch, I had to produce a US driver’s license. You can bet I’ll apply for a license the next time I’m in the US because we’re hoping to do a circuit of the national parks.

Anyway, our recent outing was exactly a month ago, and what a lucky day we had. The weather was perfect and because it was a Wednesday, there weren’t hordes of other tourists. But the best thing was the animals.

On the way home, we stopped at a petrol station, and the fellow running it said the moose and elk had just started to appear closer to the roads because the weather was cooler. And I’m guessing it helps that the kids have gone back to school. 🙂

But back to the Rockies and the animals.

My first moose

We took the road to Boulder and on to Estes Park. Our first stop was at picturesque Boulder Falls, and then lunch at the Outlaw Saloon in Lyons. They were so accommodating there. Herbie, my friend’s dachshund, was allowed to sit in the pub’s outdoor area, which is technically a no-no, but we sat far from the main entrance. I had to order a reuben sandwich and beer, even though I was driving. The glass was enough reason to have a beer.

Then it was time for a serious cruise through the park for animals. There were plenty of birds—some too quick to photograph and some I don’t recognise. Cute chipmunks were out in force.

We spoke to two women who had been driving through the park since early morning and had yet to see any large animals. But less than a kilometre up the road we spotted three elk. Later we even saw two more doing an antler tussle.

Then the normally reclusive moose appeared, and then even more moose. The first one we saw—a female—had a young’un with her, but the babe was so sheltered in long grass that I couldn’t get a decent photo.

In addition to lingering over the beasts, we took a few walks to lookout points. And as we drove from the park, another couple of elk appeared. It was great day, topped off with a rainbow. Such a good day, that I’m wondering if maybe it was a movie set?

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