In Search of Moose

I went in search of moose earlier this week, as they are often seen on the west side of RMNP.  Laura had seen them there a couple of weeks ago, and I was determined to see them myself, especially since I've only seen moose once, ever, in my life.*

* OK, Laura blew up my spot; I saw quite a few moose in Alaska, but somehow I managed to forget that trip.  Probably because Alaska is a magical fantasy land and I thought it was all a dream...
Edit: I've seen moose once ever, in the Continental US, in my life.

On my way I decided to stop for a short hike on the Ute Trail, since the wildlife viewing is always good there, and our last trip into the high country didn't yield much.  Booyah!!  Practically as soon as I left my car, I spotted my first marmot on a rock up the hillside.  I was so focused on spotting marmots, I literally walked right past a couple of elk grazing next to the trail.

I moved past them a bit and took some photographs as they slowly moved through the tundra.

It seems the elk have mostly left the lower elevations, as I again saw none in the lower meadows and near town, but there were quite a few up on the tundra kickin' it with the marmots.

It didn't take long to find this marmot doin' what marmots do best: straight chillin'.

Part of the charm of marmots is their relaxed demeanor.  Marmots keep it so real.  Nice sunny day?  No predators around?  Why not find a comfy rock with a view, and get some good relaxing time in?  Marmots just know how to chill better than any other beast I've encountered.  I didn't see any really close marmots as on previous trips, but I sure did observe a lot of maxin' and relaxin'.

This guy was a little more alert than the last marmot, but I'm sure the minute I left, he rolled on his back and started sipping his beverage of choice.  After "hanging out with the fatties" (as Laura's friend Sharlene dubbed this blog) for awhile, the clouds started to roll in, and I decided it was time to head out to find moose.

After crossing the Continental Divide, I entered the valley on the west side of the park where the moose like to hang out.  Soon I saw what I had been looking for: a beast jam ahead!!!  As I pulled up I was a bit disappointed as it was only a group of elk crossing the road, though two of the males were larger than any I had seen to date.  I got a picture of this smaller guy crossing the road, as the idiot park ranger had already scared the bigger elk away by the time I had the camera ready.

I drove around some more, but as you can see by the pictures, I saw no moose.  The weather began to worsen, and I headed home still waiting for my first Colorado moose sighting.