Scenic Elk Drive Pennsylvania
Driving all or part of the 127 mile scenic elk drive in Pennsylvania during the fall rut has become a fall ritual for a lot of people. We took a swing through the area leaving New York in late September after saying our goodbyes to Landy, Julie, Vinny, & Trenten and were inspired by the beauty of the countryside. Stopping at several of the points along the drive offered wildlife viewing and hiking trails to explore
Inside the beautiful rustic Elk Country Visitor Center there are informative and interactive displays and a nice gift shop to explore but, it is on the trails outside where the real magic exists. Along paved walkways you are able to view the elk herds in their natural habitat. The majestic males were bugling and competing for the attention of the cows in the open fields spread out in front of a throng of people in awestruck attention admiring the annual amorous antics. Nonstop bugling, chasing, and sparring amongst the bulls stood in contrast to the cows calmly grazing on the turf seemingly unimpressed with commotion going on around them. From cell phone selfies to “Hubble Scope” lensed cameras tens of thousands of images and videos were being captured by almost everyone along the rustic rock walled pathways. Oblivious to the invasion of their privacy the elk were busy passing along precious genetic material and thus preserving their heritage for the future. Feeling tired and hungry we left for our campsite marveling that around 246 days from now there would be adorable calves cavorting around the countryside.
Our next 2 days of travel took us through West Virginia and Kentucky before landing back in Tennessee to start the beginning of our October birthday celebrations. We camped at Bee Rock Campground on the Rockcastle River in Kentucky and took the hike to the top of Bee Rock and the K2R2 had some photo ops with some iconic structures in Tennessee before we landed at Tom & Patty’s house for a visit.
