Hmmm.. Dan and I sat up pretty darn quickly as this sound was coming from just outside our tent. A grizzly? Panic.. Dan peeked outside the little vent in the tent fly to see an enormous bison meandering in our direction about 10 feet from our tent. It was only a couple of feet from some unassuming sleepers in a neighboring tent. Yikes!
We grabbed the drowsy baby and bolted for the car! Even the guys camping across the street were yelling at us to get up and get -away-. Outside a small crowd had formed a cautious distance away to quickly snap pictures of the bold bison.
It continued on past our tent (thankfully not ON our tent) and walked straight through a few more sites and nearby tents until it found another bison just next to the bathrooms. From there things got a little ferocious as this first bison started pawing at the ground. You could actually see steaming coming off of their enormous bodies in the cool Teton valley air. The other one wisely avoided confrontation, and eventually the bull with his dukes up strutted back through the campground and out to the grassland. Wow, that was so interesting to watch. And thankfully we watched safely with a few parked cars in between us.
And then Auggie peed on me when we got back to camp. Apparently his diaper was already full. :P
Here are some pics of a few bison we later passed on the road:
Btw, this all happened from the Gros Ventre campground outside of Grand Teton National Park. After Glacier we decided that we really didn't want to miss the Tetons. Unfortunately the closest we got was just inside the park with a quick walk along a bike path with the jog stroller. Our legs were still tight from the Highline Trail two days ago :) Then back in the car and off we headed.
We stopped in Idaho Falls where I accidentally turned down the wrong street and wound up finding a Great Harvest Bread Co store - score! They have the most delicious sandwiches. Dan waited inside while I went in to get food. (Neither of us have showered since last Wednesday night so we had to draw straws on who had to appear in public. I lost, so Dan waited outside with Auggie.)
While getting food I noticed Dan outside talking with a girl who had a dog. Hehe, Auggie is definitely a chick magnet. :) Or so I thought. Turns out she was super cool and stuck around to chat for a while after I came out. She's pregnant and was asking about Auggie. We ended up having a great conversation about The Bradley Method and natural childbirth. Dan and I both enjoyed having a chance to encourage her about her pregnancy and rave about going all natural. She was quite the hippie and definitely into it. ... Long story short, it seemed like a divine appointment and a great chance to talk . I'll defintely be praying for her in the future.
Something we've truly enjoyed about our road trip so far is meeting great people. It's not like we've met people that we'll be friends with forever, but it's so nice to find campground camaraderie and smiling faces on the trails. Good will really goes far.
The current view:
[Mile marker 375 on 15 south, Utah, odometer read: 3136]
- From My iPhone
2 comments:
A bison 10 feet away! A bull bison at that!!! Thank you Lord for keeping them safe. (And thanks for the adventure they'll always remember -- with a smile from a distance in time later on.) : )
I think Auggie was entitled to you-know-what. You guys are taking him through the ringer. (lol) He's on the path to being a true mountain man. I hope he'll be be "tame" again back in society. : )
I am so jealous of your trip!!! I'm glad you guys are having a great time :)
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