I visited the Great Smoky National Park in North Carolina in hopes of finding the bull elk during the rut season. I first went to the Cataloochie Valley and was thrilled to first hear the bulls bugling, then to see them chasing the cows in the meadow. I saw a small river there and thought how awesome it would be to see them crossing it. After several days I met a lady who told me about the elk over in Cherokee near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. I thanked her and decided to make the drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see them the next day. The visitor center said the elk usually appear in the open field nearby around 5:00. I had several hours to wait, so I went to see the pioneer farm behind the center. As I walked there I heard the faint sound of water running over rocks. I walked to where the sound was coming from and that's then I heard a bull elk bugle in the distance! All of a sudden the elk cows started appearing out of the woods! I was caught in the middle of a hundred elk heading in my direction. I made my way back down the trail to get out of the path of the moving herd. A large bull elk was bugling and chasing the cows down the hill. He came rushing up from my left through the river as the cows were crossing the water! I got many photos and videos of them as they all moved across the river. It only lasted for about ten minutes as many cows crossed to the other side with the bull in pursuit of them. It was truly an answer to prayer and being in the right place at the right time. It was then I decided to paint this and call it "River Crossing".