Another DRG day...

DRG, or Doe River Gorge, is a favorite short-distance-away field trip.  We always love basking in the beauty of the Gorge and enjoy connecting with the staff there who have become such good friends over the years.

The season of the year doesn't matter....there are always beautiful sights to see and photograph...

 And a hike up the tracks is always good for lifting the spirits....

We headed into the second tunnel.....

 ....and as we exited, who was there to greet us but the infamous Gorgeous Gertie.....

 This was our first time seeing her "up close and personal"....

 ....and I do mean "up close and personal"!

I don't think she was too interested in the bear spray on Willie's hip, but she was definitely looking for something....

....and when she didn't find any treats, she showed her displeasure when she gave Willie a gentle butt with her head....horns on either side of his leg!  He wasn't too sure of her intentions, so with the help of a stick behind her horns he guided her away from himself.

 She wasn't too sure she wanted to go, but go she did....

After all the excitement of meeting up with Gertie, our walk up the track was cut short by the report of an active yellow jacket nest on the tracks up ahead.....so we turned around and headed back down.  Even tho' the trek back down was a lot less excitement filled, it WAS beauty filled....

And fall is definitely in the air....

Since our trek up the tracks was cut short, we headed down toward the bridge and the cabins....

Looking up the river, you would never guess that just a moment before a heron had flown up the gorge....not what we were expecting, but beautiful nonetheless.

Since we were down the river, I thought I'd take advantage of the time to try some different settings on my camera.....

You wouldn't expect us to pass up a chance to relax on one of the cabin porches, would you? 

After a peaceful afternoon, it's time to begin our walk back to the car to begin our ride back home, but I thought I'd share a couple more from our day....

Beautiful sky, beautiful day.....so thankful that God allows us the privilege of living in such a beautiful part of the country....we are so blessed!