Elks, and Bison, and Beavers, Oh My!!!!

Today was like driving through a wild life safari. We started out by clocking Elk. We found that they can easily do at least 35 mph on the highway. We clocked (chased) them for at least a half a mile until they decided it was time to go across the road, through a stream, and on the the far bank. Elk may be fast, but they are not very smart.










We then went through part of the Canadian Rockies. It had just snowed the night before, and everything was covered in a fresh blanket of snow. It was gorgeous. We did not see any animals on this leg of the trip, but the scenery was truly amazing.











Exiting the mountains, we were warned of bison crossing the road. Several miles down, we saw one stopped by the road, just grazing on tasty grass. We stopped about 10 feet from it and had a discussion about where the best grass was located, and how loosing ones winter coat is always a messy proposition. We were so close that we could actually hear the bison ripping the grass from the ground. I was a little nervous being so close to an animal that weighs 1,500-2,000 lbs., but it was amazing none the less.

Coming into town we were greeted with a small black animal that was hopping (squirming) to cross the road. Neither Dianne nor I knew what it was. I was able to stop about 5 feet in front of the animal. We then discovered that it was a beaver trying to cross the road (so many jokes there….). We were unable to get a picture of the beaver crossing the road, but it was very interesting to say the least. We now know that beavers do cross the road.