The main place to view elk is over a mountain that I can see from my house. It takes an hour to get there on twisty mountain roads, some not paved. We were blessed to see many, including one very young one. Lise’s friend Toke had good shots of it, but I don’t have one yet. I had them pose on a foot bridge over the main stream in Cataloochee Valley, a section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

We saw many clumps of butterflies fluttering on the ground. Lise had a good picture of one, and I had a slow motion video.

As we headed home, several elk crossed the road. They are not afraid of vehicles and are quite used to seeing humans in their car-cages. There are warning signs reminding us to stay in our cars and never approach any of these wild animals.

Lise noticed a big male getting up from his resting place under a tree. He grazed closer and closer to us. I’m glad I took this still photo, because my video only goes in painfully slow motion.

The next day we walked on Main Street in Waynesville. Here is a view Toke took from the car, showing the new sign that replaced a similar one that was gone for many years.

We wandered through Mast General store, one of my favorite places. I took one photo, this one in the candy section where Toke was putting his picks in a basket. Lise bought him a Southern cookbook for his collection.