Rambling to the Smoky Mountains

Today we headed east toward the Gatlinburg, TN, in the Smoky Mountains. It was a cloudy day, and we got into rain, so I didn’t really anticipate any picture taking today. However, when we got close to Gatlinburg, the traffic slowed way down. We soon discovered why - there was an elk grazing in a pasture by the road, and people were stopping to take pictures.

How could we resist? We slowed down long enough for me to snap a few shots too.

It seems the Great Smoky Mountains National Park started re-introducing elk in the park here in 2001. When you look close, you can see he has a radio collar around his neck and a tag in his ear.
What a regal looking animal!