Raton is the first town you encounter when you enter New Mexico from the north via the interstate.  The name is actually Spanish for for ‘rat’ or ‘mouse’ which adds a bit of humor to any number of business that include the city’s name in their own.  (Want to stay at the “Rat Hotel” or eat at the “Mouse Cafe”?)

It’s a beautiful place, though.  Nestled between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west and some younger volcanoes to the east, Raton sits on the transition from shortgrass prairie to mountain conifer forest.  That location was key to probably my best wildlife sighting since I’ve been here.

A little south of here, there must have been two to three hundred elk in two large groups between I-25 and US 64.  One group in a low valley, another up on a low ridge.  Both kept their distance from a small group of cattle.  They were way too far to get a good photo.  All I could do was watch from a distance as the group on the hill started to make its way down toward the group in the valley.  Magnificent.  I haven’t seen that many elk outside of a National Park ever.

I’m leaving this area tomorrow and just in the nick of time.  24 hours from now, they’ll be getting snow around here.  Several inches.  Good thing I’ll be going back to Wisconsin, away from all that.  Heh, heh.