What bull and cow elk do on a Thursday morning in Estes Park...

When we heard the elk bugling all through the night, we figured they were close by.  It turns out that the bull elk bugle carries a long way, though, so on the way to the farmers market, we drove by the herd.  Most of the elk had wandered far away from the road, but there was an elder bull who was clearly frustrated.  He was limping a bit and rested in the grass for a while before roughing up the bushes, peeing on himself, checking out a cow and challenging his rival.  Not much of a challenge, but it was fascinating to watch them use the tree for protection.  So, that is how the lower branches of ponderosa pine trees break!  We also got to see a couple of cow elk engage in a little spat.  What a show!