October 19, 2005 – 1:07 pm
Today marks a milestone for me. One year ago, I started Abstract Musings on Blogger. Actually, I posted two entries on October 18th of last year but they were the typical first post kind of blather, so I’ve chosen today to mark my blog’s birthday. Thanks to all the kind people whom I’ve met online, who have visited my humble virtual abode and have been so kind as to link to me. And a special thanks to my wife who has been very supportive of my blogging habit, and constant tinkering of both my blogs and my website. Here’s looking forward to another (hopefully, more productive) year.
To follow-up on the idea of looking forward, I decided a while back to spruce up the design of my blog. So, I joined the legion of people participating in the CSS Reboot Fall 2005 planning to unveil a new standards-based design on November 1st. So, come back then and see my new look.
I have also posted a new entry, Return to Cataloochee, in my Photos blog. My wife and I spent spent an afternoon in Great Smoky Mountains National Park a few weekends ago with the hope of spotting some elk during the rut. We were not disappointed.
Thanks again for stopping by and celebrating my blog birthday with me.
October 19, 2005 – 11:59 am
Last spring, Rachelle, her parents and I spent an afternoon at Cataloochee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in search of elk. In 2001 and 2002, two separate herds of elk were relocated from Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area to Cataloochee in the western/North Carolina portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cataloochee is a relatively isolated portion of the national park, similar to the much more frequently visited Cades Cove in the eastern/Tennessee portion of the park.
The name Cataloochee is a corruption of the Cherokee name for the area, “Gadalutsi,” which means “standing up in a row,” and could refer either to the mountains which surround the valley, or the abundant trees which cover them. Cataloochee was comprised of two separate communities, Big Cataloochee and Little Cataloochee.
After our previous trip, I wanted to head back in the fall during the rut (mating season) in the hopes of hearing the elk bugle. So, my wife and I planned an October trip to the mountains. Like our previous visit, we spent our time in Big Cataloochee. We picked a spot on the side of the road, unpacked our stuff and waited for the show to begin.
As the sun began to fade, our vigilance was rewarded. We spotted a group of five elk come out of the protection of the trees into the field near us. The group was composed of three bulls (male) and two cows (female). The male elk in the photograph above was very agressive and chased the other two bulls away from his harem.
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October 12, 2005 – 12:56 pm
October 12, 2005 – 12:44 pm
