I saw around 60 elk today.
They were out in an open field, grazing in the pouring rain in Trout Lake, WA. Saw them as we were going to the Conboy Wildlife Refuge.
I did not have my camera with me.
Conclusion: Must always bring my camera with me. Damn it!
I was extremely annoyed at myself for not bringing a camera. To top it all off we saw a bunch of deer too. Mom and I, in the hopes of finding a shed antler, parked the truck and got out in the driving rain, and found a main elk trail that wound up a wooded hillside. There were tracks and droppings everywhere. I saw two white pieces of bone sticking up behind a bush and went to investigate. Turned out to be a complete elk jaw bone. Knowing that the skull must be somewhere close by, I looked around a bit more and sure enough found it along with the spine. Unfortunately it was a cow elk, so no antlers. However the ivory teeth were still intact so we spent a while trying to sever the skull from the rest of the spine so I could get the ivories out later. Felt kind of like a grave robber. But elk ivories are cool (they are also worth a bit of money). Finally got the skull detached. We then started hiking up more into the woods, following the elk trails. Found a logging road and where they had crossed it, turned around eventually because we were getting so soaked. Walking through close pine trees and shrubs which were soaked and dripping didn't help either. So after about an hour of hiking and searching we were back at the truck, it was still pouring rain and we were drenched. But it was all great fun.
Then we stopped at McDonalds in Hood River for french fries and ice cream. My hiking shoes were caked with mud, my jeans were completely wet and dirty, and my hair was in a state of disarray, and I went in to the bathroom to wash and the floor had just been mopped.
A note of interest about my uncle from the newspaper, in the "yesteryears" section.
Forty years ago--1964
(photo caption) When Scott Richardson took his rocket arsenal (scale model type) to try out Sunday, he had a display that would have made them jealous at Vandenberg Air Base. Scott, 15, a Hood River High freshman with a leaning toward science, has a suitcase full of rockets and equipment. They fly from 500 to a thousand feet-when everything goes off properly. Scott spent a full day Sunday launching rockets at the football field here.
They were out in an open field, grazing in the pouring rain in Trout Lake, WA. Saw them as we were going to the Conboy Wildlife Refuge.
I did not have my camera with me.
Conclusion: Must always bring my camera with me. Damn it!
I was extremely annoyed at myself for not bringing a camera. To top it all off we saw a bunch of deer too. Mom and I, in the hopes of finding a shed antler, parked the truck and got out in the driving rain, and found a main elk trail that wound up a wooded hillside. There were tracks and droppings everywhere. I saw two white pieces of bone sticking up behind a bush and went to investigate. Turned out to be a complete elk jaw bone. Knowing that the skull must be somewhere close by, I looked around a bit more and sure enough found it along with the spine. Unfortunately it was a cow elk, so no antlers. However the ivory teeth were still intact so we spent a while trying to sever the skull from the rest of the spine so I could get the ivories out later. Felt kind of like a grave robber. But elk ivories are cool (they are also worth a bit of money). Finally got the skull detached. We then started hiking up more into the woods, following the elk trails. Found a logging road and where they had crossed it, turned around eventually because we were getting so soaked. Walking through close pine trees and shrubs which were soaked and dripping didn't help either. So after about an hour of hiking and searching we were back at the truck, it was still pouring rain and we were drenched. But it was all great fun.
Then we stopped at McDonalds in Hood River for french fries and ice cream. My hiking shoes were caked with mud, my jeans were completely wet and dirty, and my hair was in a state of disarray, and I went in to the bathroom to wash and the floor had just been mopped.
A note of interest about my uncle from the newspaper, in the "yesteryears" section.
Forty years ago--1964
(photo caption) When Scott Richardson took his rocket arsenal (scale model type) to try out Sunday, he had a display that would have made them jealous at Vandenberg Air Base. Scott, 15, a Hood River High freshman with a leaning toward science, has a suitcase full of rockets and equipment. They fly from 500 to a thousand feet-when everything goes off properly. Scott spent a full day Sunday launching rockets at the football field here.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home