Sleeping in the Dirt part Deux

Every Fall, Rocky Mountain National Park is THE place to be! Elk are everywhere to be seen, as they come down from the high country to the meadows where they begin mating season. The bull elk are the stars of the show, however, as they appear with their beautiful antler racks, and "bugle" to herd up their harems. That's why I love going. That's why I asked TWICE if we brought the camera. You will notice that there are NO pictures of Elk in this post (the one above is an online copy). Why? I naively asked Diana to be the photographer for this trip. Apparently, she didn't think the massive amounts of wildlife around our campsite, along the roads, on the trails, etc., were worth taking pictures of...I love teenagers. So what we have here are pics that Diana thought was worth having.
It should be noted that while the forecast called for sunny skies and mild temps in the 70s, that was not exactly our experience. It rained. Alot. So we spent more time in the tent than we planned. Someone brought out the UNO cards.
That's me. I'd gone with Diana after dinner to a meadow (again, no pictures!) to look at the Elk...and a downpour ensued shortly after we got there.

I had to ASK what these pics of Dani and Nana were supposed to be? Dani said it was a recreation of a scene in the Lion King....the girls were facing a mountain. I still don't get it. But in an effort to embarrass these girls, I'm puttin 'em on my blog.

Dani & Brad in the tent. Does he look like he knows he's been "caught" yet?

Beautiful Rockies!

Dani likes to share her food experience. And Brad with his "Jim Halpert" face. (I know, right?!) He's never even seen "The Office"--but he makes that face ALOT around us...no clue.
We're all affected by the outdoors...some more than others.

See that smile on my Mountain Man's face? That look alone is why I sleep in the dirt.

Oh, I did actually SLEEP on this trip, taking no thought of bears or other creep crawly things. We listened to Elk bugling and coyotes calling both nights, accompanied by the sound of raindrops on the tent. Sounds all nature-y and stuff--but I also lay next to Joseph who yammers in his sleep and thrashes about like a cat in a bag, just to keep things interesting.

On a sentimental note, I love that Park. There's something about other campers that gives you the warm fuzzies. We respect nature, we are all there to soak it up and remind oursleves of the "bigger picture", and teach our kids to love it as much as we do. There is "trail etiquette"--you step aside, with a nod and a smile as others pass you by, noone's grimacing or huffing--in fact, most everyone, old and young alike, are their "best selves" camping and hiking. I love to see the work of God in nature, soak it in, and leave it to resonate for a season. It makes me happy.