Day 10 - Sept. 21 - Big driving day

What I am about to describe to you is absolutely true - it's something neither Ivan nor I has seen before and probably will never see again. We were captivated by the whole unfolding of events. I have a couple of photos, but want you to know what you're looking at so, let me describe the scene.

We departed our lodgings at Pocahontas early because we were to drive from there to Kelowna (BC) - a huge drive. We had been on the road only a short time when we spotted a couple of elk crossing the road. Cars were pulling over because there were 7 females and one huge bull - and the bull was very agitated. We then saw why. Apparently, another younger bull had attempted to seduce away one (or more) of the ladies in the big bull's harem - something the Aussies would describe as pretty cheeky. Odd thing was, the younger bull wasn't backing down right away and this seemed to be infuriating the big bull. There were a couple more road crossings and, at one point, the younger bull crossed the road to the area where the big bull was checking his ladies and rounding them up, seemingly to keep better control of them. The big bull saw him and started bellowing the odd, unearthly shriek these animals make. The big guy threw his head back and ran full tilt at the other bull, who had his back turned. When the big guy was about 15' from him, the younger bull saw him and booked it out of there. The big bull began bugling again and within 10 minutes, all was peaceful and calm and all the elk had disappeared into the undergrowth. I think I went 15 minutes without taking a breath! It was one of the most dramatic things I've ever witnessed while watching wildlife. Two photos with brief descriptions to follow.