Yellowstone

We drove to Yellowstone to spend a few days with Chris. Chris and Chuck backpacked for a day and then joined Karen at the Grant Village Lodge. Most of the pictures are self-explanatory, but here is a comment regarding what we call the "Bluffalo" Incident at Fishing Bridge:

The day started with Chris' comment, "Looks like it could be a good day for wildlife," meaning it was overcast and cool. About 20 miles later, we pulled in at a wayside stop by Fishing Bridge where Chuck had camped several times when he was a kid. I started to walk across the bridge, while Chuck and Chris stopped to read the park sign. On the other side of the bridge, about 300 feet away, I saw a herd of several hundred buffalo crossing the road. Some got impatient and decided to use the left lane of the bridge, which was wide open. The buffalo were moving faster than we were and we didn't think we could make it to the car. About six of us took refuge behind a wooden park sign to let about a 100 buffalo pass on the road about 25 feet away. Once across the bridge, the herd separated, many going up an embankment behind us. Buffalo passed as close as 10 feet to the side and in back of us, but we were keeping our eyes on the bull that had stopped about 20 feet in front of us. He snorted, put his head down, pawed the ground and started towards us. He did this several times, before he backed off to join the others. Chris called it "bluff charging", but at the time, we didn't know he was bluffing! When we were safely back on the road again, Chris said, "Didn't I say it was going to be a good day for wildlife!"

Yellowstone National Park

September, 2003