Elk Viewing Groundbreaking

Last night I was covering the groundbreaking ceremony for a $12 million elk viewing area that will soon be built. Usually these things are pretty dry. Lets face it, when government officials are given a microphone, they have a hard time shutting up. I was having another migraine attack and wasn't able to drive, so my mother was nice enough to go with. She's also a reporter, so it's not unusual for people to see her at these events.

This one was a bit different, there were too many speeches, of course, but one really cool thing was a Native American from the Seneca Nation was invited to do a blessing ceremony. WOW! Never expected that! The only bad thing is they didn't have him mic'd, so we couldn't really hear what he was saying (and I was in the front row).

After the final speech and dinner, we went to see the elk. (Where the skywatch photo was taken) At this time of the year, they are bugling and absolutely gorgeous! I missed this buck sparring over a cow by only a few minutes. If you've never heard that sound, you really are missing out on a great experience. This was our first time to hear it. It just sends chills up your spine when you hear these huge male animals challenging each other.