(The next few articles are about Jo’s recent outdoor adventures in the Rockies and how they relate to her life back home in the northern Ozarks. She thought she’d share. Enjoy.)

It’s hard to ignore elk in Colorado. The bighorn sheep may be the official state animal, but elk have got to come in a close second.

by Jo Schaper

Glenwood Springs is a tourist town, and hence, elk icon abound, from postcards to bronze statues to yes, the local restaurant menu.

It’s customary that Eugene and I usually go out to eat “fancy” one night on vacations. What with all the Missouri hoopla this spring about elk…when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn’t resist.

We suspect the elk sirloin on the plate was farm-raised, not wild-shot. It was entirely too tender for game. Though we’ve eaten our share of whitetail venison, this was much more akin to bison than Bambi.

With portabella mushrooms, and cooked to the juicy side of medium, it could catch on at some of the more high-class steak places in the Ozarks.

Elk. It’s what’s for dinner. Coming soon to a table near you.

Eugene cuts into an elk sirloin. Yum!