My Thanksgiving trip to Jonesboro Tennessee in 2015 saw me visiting my girlfriend's mother and stepfather. When I heard that a local conservation park center called Bays Mountain was merely half an hour drive's away in Kingsport, add to the fact that my most cherished animals were there waiting for me, and that I had my trusty camera with me, why, I just had to go there! I wish you could have seen me. For a lack of a better word, I was as "giddy as a gumdrop" as they say. I never imagined I would be able to get such clear shots of these beautiful creatures behind the very spacious fenced in enclosure. However, with a little bit of zoom lens manipulation, I was able to do a pretty good job of essentially "phasing" out part of the fence itself.

With tail held out and muzzle to the ground, something tells me our little lupine friend is either smelling something very curious indeed or getting ready to size up the curious scent that has come his way. What do you think? Don't get between a wolf and their scent trail or you may find yourself a foe rather than a friend!

Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium (www.baysmountain.com/)