WE RAN INTO THE ELK POSSE

Breezie and I were leaving Crescent City, California, making our way south toward Eureka, when the road decided to give us one more surprise. As we came through the Prairie Creek area, there they were. Roosevelt elk. Not one. Not two. A whole gang of them gathered along the side of the road like they had called a meeting and forgotten to tell us. With the music in the video, it almost looks like something out of an old Western. A few were eating, others were standing around, and that big bull looked like the fellow in charge. You could almost imagine him telling the others, “Easy, boys. Just let the travelers pass through.” We slowed down, stayed in the RV and enjoyed the show. And as funny as the moment looked, what we were seeing was actually pretty special. Roosevelt elk are the largest subspecies of elk in North America, and they are named after President Theodore Roosevelt. These massive animals once ranged across a much larger stretch of the Pacific Coast. But hunting and habitat loss took a terrible toll on them. By 1925, the Roosevelt elk population in California had fallen to as few as 15 animals, with one of the last remaining herds surviving around Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Protecting that habitat helped them make an incredible comeback. Today, several herds live throughout Redwood National and State Parks, including around Prairie Creek, Elk Meadow, the Orick Valley and other areas along this beautiful stretch of Northern California. And this time of year, those big bulls deserve plenty of respect. Fall is rutting season, when bulls gather cows and can become much more defensive. The National Park Service recommends staying at least 25 yards away, and even farther during the fall rut. We were more than happy to admire this posse from the safety of the road. That is one of the things Breezie and I love most about traveling this way. We can have a destination picked out, a route planned and an idea of what we might see, but the road still has surprises waiting for us. We left Crescent City thinking about those enormous redwoods, that beautiful coastline and all the memories we made there. Then, on our way toward Eureka, Northern California sent out the Roosevelt Elk Posse to give us one last goodbye. And I have to admit, they looked like a pretty tough bunch. Watch the video and tell us what you think. Were they just having breakfast... Or were we interrupting something?