Rocky Mountain Elk

One of the defining species of Rocky Mountain National Park is the Rocky Mountain Elk. Which is quite ironic because even though they are native to the park the local herd was almost wiped out by market hunters providing meat to the growing population of Denver, Colorado during the hey day of mining. In 1913-1914 through the help of the Estes Valley Improvement Association and the the United States Forest Service forty-nine elk were captured in Yellowstone and shipped to Colorado to rebuild the elk herd of the Estes Valley and the park. It was obviously a success for now the park has an overabundance of elk for the resources the park has to offer. Early in the morning on Sept. 5th we went up into the park to photograph elk. Right after we entered the park we saw a nice bull on the side of the road. What caught my eye though was this young elk calf standing nearby in beautiful light. Further up on Trail Ridge Road we spotted a bull trying to round up his cows in thick timber He was exhausted! He was right next to where "The Drift"a popular trail from the now long gone Hidden Valley Ski area used to cross the road. That was a challenging trail to ski in my youth. Later in the afternoon we went back to Estes Park and I took a nice hike along the shores of Lake Estes where I spotted this elk alternately bugling and then thrashing the willows next to the golf course and the Big Thompson River. It was a nice day seeing the elk. God bless, chris All images were created with my Canon 7D mkII and my damaged Tamron 150-600mm lens. Exposures varied.

Rocky Mountain Rainbows

In early September I was privileged to go on a photo tour with my brother. He works in Estes Park, Colorado for a company that does photo Jeep tours out of Estes Park. We met the clients, a young couple at the tour office at about five thirty in the morning. We were on the road before a quarter to six. As we drove along my brother pointed out various points of interest and gave a running narrative of facts about founding of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park and the various wildlife found there. He was really good at it! Just after entering the north entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park we stopped and watched two bull elk sparring in the meadow. There was barely enough light to photograph them but was a wonderful sight to see. Further on we saw four coyotes playing together way out in the meadow too far away to photograph as well as some wild turkeys. We turned off onto Fall River Road and began the slow climb up to Trail Ridge Road. I was really glad to have the front seat when it started to sprinkle. Luckily the tour company provides heavy blankets for the people in the back of the Jeep. On the way up we were treated several times to rainbows ahead of us. We took a stop at the visitors center up on the top of Trail Ridge Road. It was gusty and cold and we didn't spot any Pikas or Marmots out. They were smart and stayed underground. We did however see another glorious rainbow with the rockies as a backdrop! On the way down we spotted some cow elk beside the road and one moose and a bear far off in the distance. It was a great morning and I really enjoyed getting to watch my brother at work. God's love and blessings upon yours, chris Most images were created with a Canon 7D mkII and a damaged Tamron 150-600mm lens. One rainbow image was taken with a Canon 10-22mm lens. #TeamCanon

My Favorite Place

Growing up in Colorado one of my favorite places to go was Rocky Mountain National Park. We would go up there skiing at Hidden Valley Ski area (now long gone) fishing and hiking. In the fall we would drive up in the evenings to listen to the elk bugle and watch the elk rut. Early the fourth day of my trip to Colorado found me up before the sunrise driving up Milner Pass to catch the sunrise at Rainbow Curve on Trail Ridge Road. The wind was just howling when I got there! It was a beautiful sunrise but the fog closed in as I got to the top of the pass at over 12,000 ft. Man it's tough for a flat lander like me to move around at that elevation. But it was worth it to hear the elk bugling mysteriously in the fog. I drove by the Marmot Sentinel at Rock Cut. There is almost always a Marmot there whenever I go by there! I parked my car and sat out on the rocks and waited for the Pikas to appear. They are the cutest little mammal to photograph. It is so much fun to watch them come and go gathering up plants for their hay piles to make it through the winter. I will gladly photograph them any day over elk or deer. Eventually the cold and the altitude got to me and I had to go back down. Even with a winter jacket, gloves and a wool hat! On the way out of the park I ran into a bear jam where there were a momma and two cubs gorging themselves on chokecherries for the upcoming winter. I also photographed a bull elk taking a bit of a snooze. The weather wasn't great but I was blessed and delighted by what I got to see and photograph. God's love and blessings to all, chris All images were created with my Canon 7DmkII and my damaged Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD. The lens did a fantastic job for having a cracked lens element and a loose mount from falling out of my backpack onto the concrete.

Rocky Mountain National Park

We were up before the sun on day eight of my trip to Colorado and Wyoming. My brother Eric and I had our gear packed and out the door without any breakfast. We were headed for RMNP. We stopped on the way to photograph an incredible sunrise and a tiny Mule Deer silhouetted by Mary's lake. The sky was on fire with color. Long's Peak and the Never Summer Range were bright with light. Just inside the park entrance we stopped to photograph some more mule deer. After that it was elk and aspens all over again. There were elk bugling everywhere and the sound was fantastic. The light gave out fairly quickly and then a front started moving in covering everything with clouds. We went down for breakfast in Estes Park at the Bighorn Restaurant where I have always had good meals. It wasn't as good as last time I had breakfast there. I had a chorizo omelette that seemed to be missing the chorizo! The weather didn't clear up after breakfast so we headed down the canyon to Loveland. I made an attempt at photographing the jays again and managed to photograph both ends of a Fox Squirrel instead. Later that evening I had hoped for a sunset but the front moved on in and all it did was cloud over and rain. Looking back on it I can see that it was an amazing day. Thank you Lord for giving us such incredible beauty to marvel and photograph! chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a Manfrotto 055PROBX tripod and an 3055 Bogen ballhead.

Elk and Aspens

Day seven of my trip to Colorado and Wyoming found my brother Eric and I headed west on Highway 34 up the Big Thompson Canyon towards Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). RMNP holds a dear spot in my heart as I have spent many days in my past fishing, hiking and camping with family and close friends. One of my fondest memories is sitting in the back of a pick up truck listening to the elk bugle and watching them spar in the meadows. Eric and I found plenty of elk. In fact we found one nice bull just inside the south entrance in beautiful morning light. Shortly thereafter we watched two bulls sparring and my card filled up right at the beginning of the match. DRAT! Next we made the drive into Bear Lake where it was snowing and the wind was blowing like crazy. It made for some nice aspen images though. We made a stop at Sprague Lake where there were Brook Trout spawning in the inlet as well as an Aspen Tree that a beaver gnawed down. We drove up into Hidden Valley a favorite spot for me as that is where I learned to ski even though the ski area is now long gone. On the way out of the valley we photographed a Magpie on the side of the road. The day slipped in and out with clouds. We drove back down into Estes Park where we photographed a lot of elk in the east side of Estes near the golf course of all places! I loved my final image of the day. A cow elk looking for some peace and quiet from all the attention she was getting from two nearby bulls. Thank you Lord for this wonderful experience. God's love and blessings to all, chris