Click image for larger view…

I spotted this amazing herd of Elk this afternoon, on my way home from town.  Talk about being in the right place, at the right time!

I received a call from my Mom…so I pulled over to be sure I wouldn’t lose my cell phone signal.  I began chatting with her, then casually looked out my window, and nearly fainted when I saw seven Elk – with babies in tow – right beside me, just off the road.  I nearly hung up on Mom, and frantically fumbled to switch lenses on my camera (which just happened to be waiting for this moment on the seat next to me – a rare occasion, actually).  Sadly, when I raised the camera for action, they had vanished.  Stupid me!  I scared them off with my hurried, human behavior.

Desperate and determined to steal just one lucky shot, I backed up slowly and quietly, and to my ultimate delight, there they were just beyond a group of trees, all THIRTY of them (or so?) – young, old, and in-between – looking back at me with curiosity.  I’m quite sure my hands were shaking in this moment of pure thrill, so I thank my on-board lens stabilizer for helping me capture this absolute blessing of nature – right in my beloved back yard.

I’m loving it here in Huerfano County more and more.