A magnificent beast

It doesn't get any more Colorado than a 12-point elk standing proudly in his ruggedly beautiful domain, Rocky Mountain National Park! I captured this image two weeks ago when Pat and I scheduled a day trip to photograph fall color and wildlife.  I know it looks like we were the only ones there, but actually there were hordes of people all over the park armed with every kind of camera and lens, lining the sides of the roads as the elk did their best to ignore us.  I actually got a one-of-a-kind shot here though -- a crowd of people was photographing this elk from the other side, but clearly they didn't understand how much better the light was over where I was standing. Not bad, eh?  He looks simply magnificent backlit with the mountains in the background!