Estes Park is one of the towns situated near Rocky Mountain National Park; thus, many tourists from around the world visit this gorgeous location. Some come to hike the mountains, known as the 14-er's; some come to experience the crisp clean air; others still come to fish. Many, however, come for the wildlife. Alaska has its bears and Estes Park has its elk. The guidebooks tell visitors to keep their distance, but especially during 'rut' season, elk can go after a human. Rut is mating season and it begins in September through October.
There are several rivers that flow through Estes Park. The elk, of course, LOVE to get drinks in the river and even lie down in the river to cool themselves. Fishermen who know the area can easily manage fishing and not disturb the elk. The elk almost have an intuitive sense of what people know what they're doing! Visitors, however, just can't keep their distance sometimes....
I had gone up to Estes Park on Tuesday by myself to visit a home for the 3rd time. On my way back down the mountain, a number of cars were pulled over to the side of the road. A man of Nebraska (I later found out) said to me, "There's elk in the river!!!!!) He was so excited. The other couple they were with had gone down into the river to take CLOSER pictures. Do you see where this is going??
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| large bull elk in the river, but what you don't see are the dozens of cows (female elk) he has nearby |
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| they look like peaceful creatures......but they don't really want to be petted.... |
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| one of the nearby fishermen |
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| one of the rescued visitors....in the river with his shoes and socks |
OH, and no one was hurt.....just embarassed and soaking wet!
This time....
