Jim,
The first time I went to Cabelas, I had the same feeling. It was the most amazing store I'd ever been to. Still is!!!!
We didnt' go to Mitchell, or even heard of it. Guess it didn't register on us that it was a place to visit from the travel brochures we had.
If you want to see allot of elk and some really massive bulls, then Yellowstone in September is one of the very best. Banf in Alberta is another good one. The elk are in full rut by the middle of the month and it will last until the end of the month. They don't care who's around, just in keeping the cows under control and other bulls away from there harem. They are buggleing non stop and very active. One time I had a big 6x6 bull come across a creek right at us while chasing a cow. We got out of his way and he just kept going like we were part of the landscape. He was only ten feet away when he passed. I'm not afraid of wildlife, but that was a little close!!!!
The really hot spots will be full of profesional photographers as this is where allot of elk pics for magazines and calenders come from. If you know what a 400 class bull is, then you'll appreciate that the oportunity to see one exists there.
Nat,
Thanks for the pics. It's amazing to see your duelly in that tunnel!!! Steph was nervous when we drove her explorer through there, she said there's no way she could have rode in the truck if we drove through. She'd be out in front making sure we didn't hit. Did Vickie guide you through?
Did you see any bighorns, mt goats or elk? The elk were a big suprise for us to see as in four trips there, that was the first time to see them in the park for me. I've seen bighorn sheep there before, but never the mt goats. With all the bikers riding around, we didnt' expect to see them, so that made the elk sitings even more exciting!!! Of course, getting up early and spending hours driving the gravel roads really slow made a huge difference in what we saw.
We try not to be critical of others, but it's amazing how fast people drive around the park looking for animals and never see any, or they see very few. We don't miss much, and tell others what we saw and where. Poeple were very friendly, but everyone we talked to all said the same thing, they weren't seeing very many animals. Most blamed the bikers, but that was only a small part of it, the animals are there, they are just hanging out just inside the treeline and out in the open early in the morning and late at night. One of the elk we spotted was less then 100 yards from the horse camp. Nobody saw him and said they hadn't seen any elk at all. They just didn't look. hahaha
weldingisfun,
Thank you. It's fun taking the pics, but even more fun sharing them.
Jim,
We have it pretty good with Steph's schedule and me being self employed. Just not having to stress over when we can take off or plan things together is very nice. Of course, she's treated very well by her doctor and he's very appreciative of what she does.
Eddie
Hard to believe it's been a year. Happy Anniversary!
