September, 2024
The Elk left the campground that morning (in last week’s blog post), but they returned early that same afternoon. I suspect they spent the rest of the morning out on the tide flats, on the grasses, munching away, out near the waters of Hood Canal. And now, after their mid day repast out there, they were interested in a little siesta, a little nap. So, they came back to the campground. I was happy with that. 🙂
The two young fellows arrived (below).
And then all the women arrived (below).
And the young folks and the alpha male (Henry) arrived as well.
Eventually, everyone found a spot and settled in for their afternoon siesta.
Ah, peace was upon the herd. Henry was down for his siesta (below), but the kid behind him kept looking up at Clarice (the alpha female) as if to ask “hey mom are you going to sleep here with me?” And mom kept looking at Henry and wondering if he was going to snort and groan and keep everyone awake again this afternoon.
Eventually, everyone settled down. In the photo below, Henry is off on the very extreme right side of the photo. Clarice is nearby. The young elk are in the middle, with adult female elk on the outer edges.
Way off to the right, WAY off to the right, were those two younger male elk (below).
As the herd settled down to sleep, I ventured a few feet closer, and was ever conscious of any reaction from them. But they didn’t react, no one cared that I was getting closer.
You’ll see the alpha male, Henry, pretty much sound asleep in the photo below.
And then, a few moments later, his head fell to the side and he truly must have been sound asleep. He has lots of responsibilities … he needs rest and sweet dreams.
The photo below was taken from a distance. The herd is under the trees in the middle of the photo, or just to the right of the middle. People are walking around, dogs are in the area. The two young bulls are asleep under the trees off to the right, outside of this photo.
You can see there are no RV’s or campers in that area where the Elk are sleeping. The campground staff are sure to keep that area clear and safe for the Elk … and safe for us! There are more camping areas north and west of this campground area, all still in Dosewallips State Park, where people who had reserved campsites in this part of the campground would still have campsites right next door.
The Elk came back again later in the week and I had even more adventures with them. Some people try again and again, yet never see the Elk … I can’t get away from them! What a blessing, eh? 🙂
Stay tuned for a few non-Elk adventures coming up. Thanks for riding along with me, and thanks to everyone for your comments, I really like them.