Moose Myth Debunked!

Here I've been grousing all summer about the elusive Wyoming moose, and all I had to do to make them appear was to express my anger in writing. Moose used to be all over the place in Alaska, hanging around the house, chewing up trees, waving their antlers in greeting, and I missed seeing their cute, long faces. I kept reading about their presence in Wyoming, but it all seemed like a big legend (oh yeah, Bigfoot and Nessie probably live here, too, right?). So I blogged yesterday that I would refuse to paint them until they revealed themselves.
This morning I decided to go for a short hike in the mountains. The drive took about 45 minutes, during which I saw herds of prongs (and cattle, naturally) and numerous soaring hawks and crows. I looked for moose in moose-probable spots (meadows, marshes), but half-heartedly because I had given up hope of finding any. The hike started out pleasantly, with a hint of fall in the cool breeze. About a mile and a half in, I came across a sheltered meadow with a little stream. As I passed--to my utter surprise--I found a female moose staring at me. After snapping a few photos, I moved up the trail to allow her to get back to her lunch, and what did I see but another moose further up the meadow! This young bull had small nubs of antlers just starting to grow. He must have been a teenager who was still allowed to tag along with mom. He stared at me, too, until I continued up the trail.
Unfortunately for the grazing creatures, the trail crossed the stream and looped back on the other side of the meadow. It probably appeared to them that I was circling in for the kill, when I really just wanted to say hello. I wouldn't have turned down a hug and maybe a tug on a dewlap for luck, but I considering that they might have wanted to trample me in return, I kept my distance. They trotted the other direction and were soon hidden in the woods.
I guess I'd better get my paints out.