Last night it rained over most of the Rocky Mountains, and this left a handsome dusting of snow atop the highest peaks. We didn’t notice this until we pulled out of Aurora and began the gradual winding climb up Rt 36 toward Rocky Mountain National Park.

This park is a keeper. We have passed it twice in our travels over the past two years without staying, and this time — even though we have extensive plans in Wyoming and Montana — we decided to stop in for at least one night. I was grumbling about the thirty mile detour for a single night stay, but before we were even in the park I could see it was the right thing to do. The mountains are mesmerizing.

Not only that, but we managed to stumble right into the middle of the elk breeding season. This is a fascinating event, when the elk come down out of the mountains and start appearing in large groups near the roadways, and the bulls jockey for position to mate with as many cows as they can.

The best part of this is the “bugling” done by the bull elk. It sounds like a cross between a humpback whale song and a loon’s cry. Sometimes it sounds like a rusty iron gate being opened. Around sunset you can park along any road and watch the the bulls slowly follow their harems around the meadows. The photo above shows a bull elk with one antler broken off. He’s going to have a rough season, since the cows are looking for a mate with a big healthy rack of antlers.

The down side of this season is that most of the campgrounds have closed. Only one is open this late in September (on this side of the park), and as the ranger told us, “Retirees in RVs pretty much keep this place jumping through October.” It seems pretty strange to close all the other campgrounds, since September is still peak season here. So we ended up in an “RV Resort” just outside the gates at $40 per night. One night won’t break the budget, and this place has the advantage of wi-fi in the campground that actually works.

On any visit to a national park, especially a short one, we find the best thing to do to get to know the place is to attend the Ranger Talks. This evening’s talk was about (of course) elk. Up at this altitude it’s pretty chilly and the temperature drops quickly after sunset, so fleeces were mandatory. My wool poncho from Mexico made a nice lap blanket for all three of us.

Emma paid careful attention to the ranger so she could use the information to complete some of her Junior Ranger program. She should be able to complete most of it this evening and turn it in tomorrow before we head out midday.

I talked to Bert Gildart today about our planned rendezvous. Instead of meeting up at his house near Glacier, we are thinking now that a meeting in Yellowstone might be better for all. The plan is still fluid, but it seems we will spend more time in Wyoming than we thought.