Rocky Mountain National Park is about an hour drive from where I live. You'd think I'd be up there all the time, but I seem to almost forget it's there - that is until the aspen leaves start turning and the elk start rutting! Then I spend entire days taking photos, getting there before sunrise and leaving after sunset.

This year I went to the Cub Lake trail in the Moraine Park area. I had hoped to photograph the elk in the morning, but the herds were much to far away from where I was located to photograph them. So, I took out my close-up lens and concentrated on macros in the early morning light instead.

By mid-morning, I was headed up the trail to Cub Lake. While the golden aspen were spectacular, it wasn't until I returned late in the afternoon that I saw some wildlife.