Mingus Mill, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Mingus Mill located on the far eastern side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in North Carolina is still an operating mill to this day. In the late 1790's, the metal turbine was considered a modern marvel compared to the old wooden waterwheels used up to date in the milling industry. The Mingus Family opened the mill in the 1790's and later built this structure for a mere $600. At that time the mill was surrounded by fields and crops.

Today, surrounded by the national park itself, the Mingus Mill is quaintly nestled in a grove of trees a short walk off the entrance on a winding path which crosses over a narrow creek called Mingus Creek. When you begin your walk back to the mill, the trail is actually the Mingus Creek Trail head with the mill itself about one tenth of a mile in. This trail is also part of the Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail which stretches 1,000 miles beginning at Clingman's Dome and ending at Jockey's Ridge at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At this point on the path, this is when the mill begins to divert the water from the creek itself to the mill. I have photographed this site once before and decided to stop by during my recent visit to the park and attempt a new perspective to include the building. Hope you have great plans for the weekend. ENJOY!

Linking to Barn Collective

Elk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

At the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there were no Elk to be seen which was the norm. As I made my way back through the park, I happened upon this lone Elk munching on the grasses in a field right off the road about two miles from the visitor center.

She is a sow and I don't think she gave birth to a calf this Spring as there was no evidence of one with her. I loved that she also did 'not' have a radio collar on which made for nicer images. As the group of cars that stopped to watch her graze began to grow, the Elk would look up every now and then. This was one of the looks she gave me as I sat across from her in the car at a good distance. It was a priceless look. When it started to rain, she looked up and all around her, and then abruptly turned and hightailed in the opposite direction and crossed the road heading for the treeline next to the river. It made one wonder what was going through her head at the time. If you look closely, you can see a few rain drops in the image. At least she posed for a few pics for me. ENJOY!

Elk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

On my visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earlier this year, I drove to the far eastern side of the park where the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center is located, right outside of the small town of Cherokee. I had hoped to catch a glimpse of the Elk herd that had been seen in the fields the previous evening. I waited next to the field where the Elk had been the night before, but no Elk appeared.

So I moved on down to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in hopes of seeing them. One lone female Elk made an appearance that evening while I was there. And luckily, this she came out of the woods and moved almost all the way up to the edge of the Visitor Center. So I was able to get a few images, with my 300mm. As you can see, this Elk was not only tagged, but also bears a radio collar to track her movements. All of the Elk in the Smokies, both near Oconaluftee and in Cataloochee Valley were reintroduced into the park about ten years ago.

When I first arrived at the center, one of the park rangers standing at the edge of the parking lot mentioned to us that there was a possibility that the Elk may not come out to graze, as it was the height of the birthing season, and many of the female Elk were giving birth to new calves.

In the past, when I have photographed the Elk, it has been in Cataloochee Valley, which is also part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but is quite a distance from the main park boundaries, and is actually located in North Carolina. Aside from the added drive to reach this area of the park, the drive up and around the mountain to gain access to Cataloochee Valley itself is long and winding and, at times, arduous as you are hugging the side of the mountain. To make matters worse, the road is not paved, but gravel. So having an opportunity to see even one Elk on my trip, without having to make that drive to Cataloochee, was worth the waiting. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. The weather here has cooled off and will be in the 60's and 70's for the next week. Did I mention how happy that makes me. ENJOY!