A Strawberry Stroll

 We wanted to find some bugling elk, so we headed up Strawberry Creek. The end of the road has been closed all summer, and you can see by Desert Boy's expression that he wasn't too thrilled about walking.

 So it started out a little more like a drag than a stroll. But we persisted. Actually, I had the idea that this nice autumn day could be a good day to take a family photo, so we gave it a try.

 The disgruntled looks don't make for an enchanting photo. Oh, well, onwards.

 The feel of autumn was really in the air. I love this time of year--we're about to quiet down and have some time to relax!

 I think some of that eventually soaked through to the kids, as they calmed down and started finding things to enjoy. Desert Boy was entranced with the beetle galleries on a piece of bark.

 Before long, Desert Girl was even interested.

 At the end of the road we reached the reason the road was closed: a new parking area.

 On the other side we crossed the very long pedestrian bridge.

 We tried again for a family photo, but it didn't work out so well. At least this one of Desert Girl and Daddy turned out decent. While my husband and kids amused themselves with the creek, I walked a little farther, still with hopes of seeing some elk.


 I didn't see elk, but I saw lots of sagebrush (and tried to get a sunflare photo for a photo challenge).
Eventually it was clear that the elk had moved on, so I turned around and headed back.

 On the way I saw a sudden movement across the trail: a snake slithered across, with something in its mouth. How cool!

 The snake had caught a rodent, and she moved quickly to go enjoy her treat.

Back at the bridge it was time for me to play in the stream and my husband took some photos.

 The kids had gotten pretty happy after playing in the water for awhile. And they weren't even too wet!

Even though we didn't see any elk, it was still a nice family outing. It was also interesting to see how the leaves hadn't changed much, even those the ones at higher elevations were very colorful.