I’ve spent the last several days camping in Estes Park, eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. (Query: Does it really qualify as “camping” when you have a DVD player, WiFi access, and a microwave? Regardless, except for sleeping in my car, it’s the only kind of “camping” I’ll do.)

Highlights included seeing a large herd of elk above timberline, off Trail Ridge Road:

Bemoaning the typical stupidity of people who don’t understand the “wild” part of “wildlife” (overheard: “The elk here are so tame they’ll just let you walk right up to them!” Right, and they won’t attack you because they’re herbivores who only have antlers and hooves, not fangs):

Awesomely camouflaged insect of some sort, also above timberline:

A visit to the historic Holzwarth ranch, located inside the park. “Papa” was a taxidermist who found creative uses for his craft:

This site is located near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Yes, this little stream will eventually grow to the turbulent river that carved out the Grand Canyon:

I tried antelope meat for the first time, and buffalo, which I’ve had before. One or both disagreed with me; let’s just say I now have a good idea where every rest stop between Grand Lake and Millner Pass is located.

Along that same stretch, we saw 13 moose.

And this is my absolute favorite picture from the trip, cow moose with calf running through a meadow: