When Landscape Photography Doesn't Go As Planned

My first day in colorado didn't feature a ton of fall colors, but it did feature some beautiful mountain scenery. I decided to spend the middle part of the day looking for a particular shot I wanted to grab, but after hours of searching I almost gave up. If I hadn't spotted a herd of elk, I would have never found it! The funny thing is, I drove by it probably 3 or 4 times.