Sorry, Sylvery, but no Aspen Alley photos this fall. We never made it down there. How about a shot of what I call "Cottonwood Alley"?

It's a lot smaller and less impressive, and harder to get to, but not many people ever get to see it.

And I suppose I should make some mention about my day. Yet another elk season opened, so the heeler sisters and I spent the morning wandering around, watching people in blaze orange sitting on hillsides waiting for elk to pass by. And watching a hunter watching those hunters, waiting for them to leave so he could go down and shoot the big buck deer that bedded down below them.

He fell asleep.

Many hours later he awoke to find the other hunters gone, and the buck also still sleeping.

Which he then shot and brought through my check station.

Which is where I spent the entire afternoon. Having fortunately stripped off the thermals that I slipped on earler that day, on a windy, cold piece of the Continental Divide.

And speaking of the Divide... as I squatted on a bare piece of said Divide, cleaning off my scalpel and tongs from another CWD sampling, one of my wardens called on the radio. And wondered how close I was, as our signals were strong and clear.

Ummm, not very. Like, 50 miles.

But I'm up here, literally on top of this part of the world.