Mogollon Rain

With our monsoons brewing, this is a great time of the year to capture awesome clouds and weather.

So we headed out to the Rim to see if we could capture some interesting photos. While we were actually thinking we would get fog after the previous day’s rain. We were just greeted with more rain, and a few elk.

We always consider it a gift whatever we might get. No matter what, it’s always a good day out and beautiful trek through the forest.

Big Bull

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I keep hearing the elk bugle… a magical, majestic sound… but I had yet to see the big bull that bellowed.  That is, until this morning.  It was just after 5am… a little dark still, when he came in.

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I think I may have been a little late to the party, as he didn’t stay long.  He seemed merely to have come in to collect the last of his harem, and then he was off again.

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To watch the grace and ease at which he slinked off into the forest was a beautiful thing.  He was so quiet and confident in his graceful movements as he jumped over a ledge like it was a pebble and quietly disappeared.  Awesome.

Elklings

 

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First it was the deer, now the elk.  We love the return of the animals.  It has been so dry.  No rain in the past or foreseeable future.  The weather is unpredictably warm.  Our plants and animals are confused beyond measure.  Bees are swarming late… baby animals are appearing late… and wild birds, normally migrated, are looking for food.

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Winter must be near… but the weather gods aren’t cooperating.  Maybe next week.  In the meantime, the animals are trying to fill up on whatever food and water they can get their mouths on…. including having elk and deer in the same space.

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We’ll enjoy what we get… when we get it.

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