This year’s Rotary Photography Contest winner is thrilled to have been in the right place at the right time to capture this beautiful picture of a Bighorn Mountain Sheep. His winning photograph will appear on the 2024 Friendship Card, and he will receive two Friendship Cards to use when in town.

Steven Rishel and his wife live most of the year in Eastern Nebraska, but their love of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park draws them to Colorado for the month of February, where they love to hike and explore the park when the temperatures are low, and the visitors are few.

On a windy day last February, they left the Alluvial Fan parking lot to walk to Endovalley. Steve fell behind his wife as he stopped to take pictures along the way.

He rounded a curve to see his wife waving at him to come quick. There on the side of the road were two rams majestically standing in the sun. While he rushed to prepare his camera, the rams waited patiently without moving away. Steve was able to zoom in on them and captured seven or eight photos before they sauntered away.

Steve described it as the shot of a lifetime. The ram was looking directly at him, and most importantly its eyes were in focus.

They never saw Bighorns through the rest of their month-long visit.

Even before winning this contest, Steve and his wife were Friendship Card holders. Introduced to the card by the Country Market cashiers, they consider it to be a valuable shopping tool whenever they are in Estes Park. They look forward to receiving their complimentary cards for their upcoming return visit to Estes Park next February.

Watch for the announcement as Friendship cards for 2024 will go on sale the second week of December. They make great stocking stuffers.