Magnificent

 

If you want to cause a traffic jam on the Icefield Highway in Canada, the way to do it is with these magnificent creatures.  How often we would ride along and come around a bend in the road to find cars and other vehicles pulled to the side of the road.  We came to know that something had captured the imagination of fellow travelers.  We would immediately slow and join the event.

At one stretch of the road we found a crowd enjoying these magnificent creatures, Elk, known to the First Nation Peoples as Wapiti.  Wapiti originated with the Shawnee and literally means “white rump”--apropos.

I still marvel at these animals.  I can’t imagine having the neck muscles to support and wield the large racks of antlers so characteristic of these creatures.  How can animals this large move with grace and power and speed as these are known to do?

I know one can find these animals elsewhere, but these wonders are yet another reason to visit Canada.