Back from our short vacation

atara and I just returned home after a 3-day trip up to Riding Mountain national park, with a day-trip to Duck Mountain provincial park, where we spent some quality time with her parents and uncle, filling our annual quota of hiking and fishing.

On one of the evenings, we signed up for an elk-spotting tour. Our knowledgeable, if slightly eclectic, guide took us on a hike to a bear den, then led us up into some reclaimed gravel pits where, in spite of his best bugling efforts, he could not summon any elk from the woods. Once it was obvious that we were not going to get any elk viewing that evening, he led us back to the lake where he began pulling various hides and skulls out of his van for a backup presentation. While I am sure that his lecture was very entertaining and informative, I admit that I missed much of it because I became more interested in the spectacle that was forming over the lake. When you see the picture below, you can probably understand why it caught my attention.

Moonset over Clear Lake


( More pictures behind a cut. )