Moose, moose, moose!

The past few days have brought winter back. It's been cloudy, colder, and snowing at times.

We've had a moose pair hanging out nearby. I've been seeing them a couple of times per day. I feel pretty sure that the mother moose must recognize me by now.

I can't believe that they can survive on what I observe them eating. Douglas fir branches? They can't be very tasty.

They seem to eat for a while and then lie in the snow. I've never seen them lie on bare ground (there are some snowless areas now!). I think that they must like the coolness of the snow.

Here was mom, chewing as she lay in the snow.

Here was Junior, lying near his mom one morning.

I also see them in the evenings. I imagine mom thinking, "You again?". They've been smack in the middle of one of the only packed and easily traversed trails so it's been hard to avoid them.

 And, after spotting me the other evening, she turned around and did this!

I think that maybe it was a message! Actually, I believe that the pair moved on this morning. Although I've enjoyed watching them, I'll also enjoy a break from worrying about them!

I'm starting to know how to read the mother's body language better now. The pair was in a big open area where I could watch from far away for a couple of days. I could see how the mother's posture changed when she got nervous about me, and then I could discern when she relaxed again. Knowing more about their body language and how I can prevent them from getting nervous will help me in the future, assuming that I don't accidentally ride near one without seeing her ahead of time.

With all the clouds, we've had a few nice sunsets. One was absolutely spectacular but I couldn't find any way to go around the moose pair to photograph it from a high point. Another was also pretty, and the moose pair had kindly vacated my favorite spot so I could photograph it. It was foggy and cloudy, creating a muted but colorful sunset.

Life has become quite exhausting all of a sudden. I've had a string of small health setbacks, and they've left me tired. I'm going to take it easy over the coming week so my posts may be short and sporadic. Thanks in advance for your patience!