June 14, 2015 - Elk on the Lawn

It was a busy day in Big Creek with cars streaming in all day long. We mostly hung out at the motorhome to reduce the stress levels. The only big event today was the elk. One of the girls in the group site knocked on our door to tell me a moose was walking up the horse trail. I answered, “You mean an elk?”

“Yes, it’s an elk.”

I grabbed my camera, but did not get a good picture of her on the horse trail. I walked up the road from the RV, guessing that she would continue up the horse trail to where it crosses our road. She was calmly nibbling leaves as she walked along.

 

Just as she came out onto the road, she did this for about five seconds.

 

Then she calmly head on up toward the toilet building.

 

And headed for the lawn

We’ll have to tell Spence to keep it a little longer.

 

Park visitors were gathering in all directions, but she didn’t pay much attention to them. She would raise her head periodically to look around and then continue munching. No one got too close.

 

I have a fine picture to add to my animal butt collection. Elk and pronghorns have the finest rumps.

 

She is clearly a park elk with tags in both ears and (I presume) a tracking collar on her neck. Actually, any elk around here is a park elk. All the others were eaten years ago.

 

She didn’t seem bothered when it started to rain. Most of the people left at that point. Then, it rained harder and she headed for the trees above the parking lot.

 

Nothing else of significance happened today.