Elk

— It was probably my second visit to Rocky Mountain NP, while driving along the Trail Ridge Road, when we spotted a small herd of elk. It was the first time I’d seen these gorgeous animals. So, when we returned to Rocky Mountain this year, I knew we’d be driving along the Trail Ridge Road. Sure enough, we spotted another herd of elk nearly at the same location. On a different day, we decided to do a hike to the Pool. As we were driving along Fern Lake Road towards the trail head, we make a left curve and come upon this majestic elk bathing in the soft rain. It was close to the road and provided me with ample time to make photos without even leaving our car. We were in awe of how big and serene it looked. I took several shots of it and was happy with the chance I had. Just as we were about to leave, we look at our left and spotted the larges elk herd we’d ever seen (see video at the end). It was drizzling harder now, and there was also some small hail falling. Again, from inside the car I was able to capture this herd and the rain sound. Later that afternoon, when we returned from our hike, the same herd was still there causing a traffic jam on that narrow road.