Fog settled in the bottom of the river basin and wrapped the campground in cool damp air. It was a perfect morning to sleep in, but I was awake. Trying not to stir the family, I went out for a walk and discovered a large male bison grazing quietly and peacefully near our campsite. Although very aware of my presence and eyeballing me as I walked past sneaking pictures, he did not stop feeding.
I woke Ash and he joined me on a drive through the campground in search of other bison. We found several and even saw one look both ways before crossing the road…or at least that’s what we joked.
As the fog burned off and the sun warmed the valley, the two of us headed to The Cowboy Café for breakfast while Ang and Ro slept. At 7:00a on a Wednesday in July, the Cowboy Café was an mix of local ranchers (real cowboys) in bright-colored plaid shirts, overalls with worn circles on the back pockets and of course cowboy boots and hats. It was a throw-back restaurant with pictures of local cowboys and past rodeo winners framed on the wood-paneled walls. The booths were iron-branded with the signs of nearby ranches, and the sign up front declared that in no uncertain terms, cards (credit or debit) were NOT accepted–cash and checks only. When I ordered coffee, the waitress pointed to the menu that stated Folgers as their brand. “That okay?” she asked. Fine with me. In other words, in spite of a large display of t-shirts and coffee mugs for sale, the place had attitude. The food was decent, and it was definitely hearty and geared for the hard-working ranch hand who needs 5000 calories/day.
Later we drove the scenic loop in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit. The loop is about 35 miles around and delivers excellent views of the slumping and furrowed bluffs and hills within the park. We were hoping to see more bison, having yet to see a full herd – only loners or small groups of three or four. Three quarters of the drive was stopping at overlooks to snap pictures of the rolling prairie and striated formations. The shapes of hills and prairie, rivers and creeks are fractals and the perspectives, chiaroscuro. It is the geological structure of the park that provides a visitor with constantly changing views and perspectives. A ridge, river or hill viewed at sunrise is hued and shadowed differently than at mid-day or dusk. It is a landscape in motion.
The park is known for its large herds of bison and we finally lucked into perhaps 100 or so buffalo crossing along the northwest side of the loop. As usual, we were virtually alone (one other car about 200 yards down the hill) and got to enjoy this passing herd with no press of cars behind us. Ang popped out of the top of the truck to safely photograph the enormous beasts as they moved by. They were close enough that we could hear their breathing and grunts as they passed. After the herd cleared, we stopped to admire a large band of wild horses grazing along a bluff’s edge above Jones Creek and came across a smallish herd of Longhorns settled down in the cool grass.
The road turned southwest and there in the Beef Corral Bottom – which is also home to one of the larger prairie dog towns – we saw a much larger herd of bison following the road on their way down to the river during the hottest part of the day. There were at least a couple hundred bison – three large bulls as tall at the shoulders as my truck, 30-40 calves and many aging buffalo. We saw a number of mock battles among young bulls and several rolling around in their bison wallows, at which the prairie dogs barked angrily and scurried off to safety.
