Cottonwood Pass to Crested Butte, July 2015

So getting up at 4 a.m. to go to Brainard Lake definitely got me the moose shots I was hoping for. No question about it. Then after hiking to Lake Isabelle it was on to Crested Butte for a few days in Gunnison County. And what do you suppose I saw when I got down to Taylor Reservoir after coming over Cottonwood Pass?

Yup, another moose.  A young male in a small pond, blissfully blowing bubbles, nearly oblivious to the people stopping to take his picture and the family fishing in the same pond. 

It was great to watch him periodically lift his head out of the pond and have water pouring off his chin.

That eventually got to be my game.  Set my focus and composition while he was feeding, then fire away once he lifted his head.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

I ended up taking more shots of this guy than I did of the fellows at Brainard.  A nice bonus to get multiple moose!

Taking the Jack's Cabin Cutoff shortcut brought me past a small group of Hereford cattle, at least one of whom did not seem to want his picture taken.  You'd probably be testy, too, if you the horns coming out of the top of your head had grown so long that they now poked the sides of your face.

I also took the cutoff on my way back to Denver five days later, and got nice morning light on this tall yellow evening primrose flower.

And in the same pond by Taylor Reservoir that morning was yet another feeding moose, this time a female.

Lupine grows abundantly in various spots along Cottonwood Pass, usually under the shade of the trees.  Sunlight peeked through just enough to illuminate this particular patch.

I love how keeping your eyes open and camera handy can yield images along your journey., and not just at your destination!