Wildlife Haven

We rode through green valleys starting at 7500 ft. north of Current Creek Reservoir,

ascending to 9500 ft. at Low Pass Road. 

This moose was knee deep in a beaver pond when we startled her.  We were startled, too, as she splashed out of the water to get away from the strange centaur-like invaders. 

She may have had a calf hidden in the aspens, because she ran to the trees and stood firm, staring at us until we were out of sight.  We were several hundred yards away, but a mama moose is no one to mess with.  We watched for any sign of aggression.  If she had charged, we would have made a speedy retreat.

We've seen sandhill cranes in this area several times.  Finally, we had a photo op.

A hairy woodpecker and his mate whistled and squawked at us.  They must have had a nest nearby, and all their noise was an attempt to scare us away.  Eventually, it worked. 
We saw lots of elk and deer.  Steve rode right past a deer fawn curled up in the brush.  It was tiny, probably only a few days old.  He would have taken a photo, but Daisy saw the fawn, too, so his efforts went toward containing Daisy so the fawn could safely escape. 

Can you see the pile of sticks in the bottom center of the photo?  That's a beaver dam, about 8 feet of engineering work at its deepest point.   

We rode up to check it out.  The beaver seemed to be gone and no longer maintaining the dam, but big pool of water remained, providing Daisy with a refreshing swim.