Transition toward winter, including wildlife

I am still immersing myself in the golden hue of some aspen groves that still have leaves, even though the temperature was about freezing this morning on our ride and the mountains are getting new snow almost every night. I won't admit that winter is here until all the golden leaves are on the ground.

Every year, I have this feeling that Mother Nature is teasing us during autumn, showing us some of her most brilliant beauty before the hammer of winter slams down. Winter is pretty too, but the harshness of the environment makes it less idyllic.

I had the Labraduo out in the forest with me this morning, enjoying the early morning light on their fur and on the golden leaves.

It's rare treat that I get to mountain bike with both dogs. But, I've had the opportunity to do so for the past couple of days.  I've found that R is an awesome example for my teenaged Shyla. R is an almost perfect trail companion, staying within a small radius around me without much direction from me.

During her solo rides with me, Shyla has been struggling with this concept - wanting to explore rather than stay close. I have to give her lots and lots of supervision. It's been fun over the past few days seeing her copy R's good behavior. I hope it continues when she's solo with me again!

Our wildlife is also starting to show that winter is just about here - with elk and moose appearing in our neck of the woods. Elk fascinate Shyla - so they will be an added distraction for her (as if we need that right now!)

A young bull elk visited a trail cam very close to our usual mountain biking route the other day.

And, we saw a big bull elk in a nearby meadow recently. You can barely see him to the left of the pond in the next photo. Soon, the whole herd of elk, at least a hundred of them, will be living in our neck of the woods for the winter.

I had one other rare sighting by my trail cameras the other day. A young bull moose! He is, by far, the tallest animal ever to pass my camera. There's a bear marking tree behind his butt, and his hips are as tall as the tree! That means that the moose's hips are as tall as a bear standing on his hind legs!

I caught his photo again, a few minutes later, as the world started to get dark. He was heading up a gully often used by mountain lions. This is the spot where I captured the photos of the mountain lion kitten recently. I wonder if a mountain lion would prey on a moose? I'm not sure of the answer.

Moose numbers are growing exponentially in Colorado. They are living among us, often in plain sight near mountain homes. Most mountain people are comfortable with our wildlife but moose are fairly new to us. They were introduced in western Colorado a few decades ago. As they've multiplied, they've crossed the Continental Divide to our side, and they're gradually moving down to lower elevations. I bet that the young bull moose is searching for suitable new territory to live in for his adult life.

I'm thrilled to have moose but I have to admit that I feel more trepidation about meeting a moose in the forest (especially if I have my dogs with me) than other wildlife, mainly because I don't have much experience with moose. I have the feeling that I'm going to be learning about this very soon!

Do any of you have moose experience that you can share with me? Thanks!