You ever have one of those days where you're driving along and you round
a bend in the road to find yourself completely trapped in a traffic
jam...of bison? Okay, if you haven't been to Yellowstone National Park
you probably haven't. We encountered such a traffic jam last weekend.
It was pretty fabulous. We just stopped (because, I mean really, what
else could you do; they weigh up to 2,000 pounds) in the road and waited
until they all streamed past us revealing the wide open road again. It
was pretty surreal. You could stick your hand out the window and touch
one if you were stupid enough to try it, which is highly NOT
recommended. There were babies, cows, and gigantic, prehistoric-looking
males. A bison family traffic jam. And there were more than a hundred
of them...maybe even two hundred, but I lost track and am not always
good at estimating these things. I was just glad they were going the
opposite direction that we were. There was an actual traffic jam of
cars and buses trailing down the road, at a probably painful crawl,
behind the herd of bison. But, its not like you could hurry them!
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| They are really starting to lose their winter coat, as you can see in this photo as well as Matt's pleasure. |
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| I loved this accidental capture. Mama, giving baby a mid-stride face licking! |
What a world!
What a world!
Wonderful pictures! No, I have never been in a bison traffic jam or even seen one not in a zoo for that matter. That was a cute mama/baby moment. I suppose that is our equivalent to a hand squeeze of loving kiss on the cheek of a little one.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was pretty awesome to behold.
DeleteThe mama-baby moment made me think of all the times my mother wiped some smear off my face with spit on her thumb. I always hated it as a child...but when your face is dirty, I guess your face is dirty. I like your comparison better. It so sweet.
WOW!!! That would be a once in a lifetime experience that would stay with you always.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, it was pretty darn special! They are amazing creatures...and to think we once hunted them to near extinction. I'm sure glad we didn't let that happen.
DeleteOh, wow! Wonderful photographs - and I love Matt's joy in them too!
ReplyDeleteCertainly not something you see everyday! I think I've only ever seen a small handful of them. Must have been pretty amazing.
ReplyDelete