We set out early today on the gravel roads of the park in hopes of sighting a few of the 350 or so Elk in the park.
First it was the sight of the tips of the great antlers and the soulful sound of his bugling as he moved through a gully that hid a solitary bull from view. He emerged, magnificent.

In the evening we saw more than 30 elk as we drove across the park in the twilight. They are an impressive creature. Such a regal silhouette as they stand high on the horizon with heads high surveying all that surrounds them like it is theirs. We heard coyotes calling again, more prairie dog chatter and the elk still bugling in search of his elusive mate.

We checked out the Mammoth Site @ Hot Springs. It is an active dig where we saw bones still in the position as they are finding them. There is all kinds of information about how they lived, what they ate, who they shared the world with and ultimately how they died. I loved it! If you are into archeology at all, it is a cool stop. The Mammoths were trapped in a sinkhole that filled with water then silted so they are wonderfully preserved. Did you know that in fewer than 10 years some real Jurassic Park type science could happen?! They are getting enough DNA from flash frozen mammoth in Siberia to sequence the gene and will soon be able to clone one. Sounds like a pretty bad idea to me!

Oh, and today we did see that prairie rattler. A ranger had to catch one and remove it from the visitor center area. I, of course, was way up the hill when he did it. Kent got a pic! I kept my distance…. it rattled like crazy the whole time.
Now I know for sure what to listen for in teh future!