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....
Hello Joann,
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that was quite a story! I'm so glad that no one was hurt! Poor woman who got chased down into the river! That must have been quite scary for her. This is definitely a reminder that animals are wild, and we must definitely keep our distance! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad it was just a scare, and nothing more serious happened!
Have a wonderful day! xoxo
It's the same people who talk through movies-people who have no sense of their environment. The world is there forthem to watch. Well, hopefully they learned. Great story! You had perfect timing!
ReplyDeleteMy girl friend Mary who grew up in Wyoming told me about coming across a mother moose once when she was out in the wilds It involved standing very still and slowly backing away. Moose and Elk are huge and crazy people want to get close and personal. Great story and fortunately had a happy but wet ending. Gosh it's pretty out there in the woods.
ReplyDeleteWhat a riot! What part of nature are we? The worst most days. At least no elk were badly inconvenienced and the tourists have a good tale to tell.
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