Thursday, Sept 17 After midnight there was a steady, slow rain, the kind that is nice to lay in bed and listen to. It was still raining in the morning, as Tom cooked pancakes outside under the awning. We examined the map of the area, and decided for a rainy-day-drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Balsam Mountain Road. We tried for this road the past two years in a row, and it was always “closed for the winter.” Today it was open and we got to drive back to the Balsam Mountain Campground. It was mostly pull-over sites along the main road, and there were two nice bathrooms. At that point the paved road ended, and we turned around! As for the weather: still drizzling and very foggy, but still a nice drive. A dramatic thing happened on the way down the mountain! Walking towards us in the mist was a woman and a giant black German Shepherd Dog. Off to the side of the road was a Roadtrek camper van that had slid on the wet grass down into a ditch. It was distinctly eerie in the drizzle and heavy fog as we stopped to see what was needed. Patricia and her companion Triumph jumped in the back seat of our truck without hesitation and told us her story. Patricia had driven past her turn-off and was attempting to turn around, when the van slipped down in the ditch. It was only inches away from turning into a roll-over, and she was fairly frightened as she climbed out! We drove Patricia and Triumph to a near-by Ranger Station; they aren’t allowed to call a tow truck without permission from the Cherokee Nation . . . if it is on Cherokee property. It was not, but by only about a mile! He directed us into Maggie Valley where we linked up with Anytime Towing. They would not allow us inside out of the rain, but gave Patricia the phone number of a driver. The tow truck met us back up at the intersection to get onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we led him the 5 miles to where the Roadtrek was ditched. From his point of view it was an easy pull-out, and she was back on the roadway and ready to travel. He could only take cash (his credit card machine was broken!) and between Patricia and us we were able to throw him the $125 cash he needed. Yes, Patricia, you provided us with a sense of worth today and we enjoyed every minute with you. We will enjoy the Buddy Brew Coffee! Safe travels! We ate a late lunch and headed back to the camper. At 5:00 we tweaked our usual evening schedule to drive to the meadow before supper, hoping there might be some nice elk action now that the rain had quit. There were 22 mademoiselles resting in the field, and the one big gent. Nobody appeared anxious to do anything, until the male slowly stood up and walked from one gal to the next, nudging them onto their feet. They stood up and stalked away, and I thought he was a little quick to take “no” for answer. It became evident that he had the intent of herding the girls to keep them together, and later we saw him moving the whole herd from one end of the meadow to the next. He has his own game plan! A new twist tonight was that the perimeter of the meadow was more heavily guarded by Rangers – with paint ball guns! As a female came inquisitively toward our viewing group, the Ranger walked out to meet her and shot a blast of clear paint balls to chase her back. The rangers are always on guard that the elk can get agitated and charge at any minute. Patrolling Ranger Brandon answered a few questions that we had. This buck has “claimed” the doe in the fields as his, but another (satellite) male might sneak around the perimeter and bag a doe for himself. Sometimes there will be challenges and fights among the males, but not as often as we had thought. Brandon said not all the girls come in season at the same time, and there might be a mating tonight, or maybe not for a few weeks. With that, our Elk Rut trip basically ended and we headed back to the campsite. We both indulged in showers and otherwise cleaned up the inside of the camper as we would be leaving in the morning. Note to self: if we do this again next year, we may want to come the first week in October!
1 Comment
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |