Man versus Bison

Miles driven: 1,521

I am writing this from the Herbert Hoover suite at the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming. President Hoover actually stayed in our room in 1932, during his presidency. In fact, the tub is the same, so Andrea and I are going to soak our bums tonight where a sitting president once did. Or perhaps I will just shower.

It's been quite a week. After leaving Idaho we crossed into Wyoming and spent a couple of nights in Jackson Hole. Our town, Teton Village, was a quiet resort and had its own private entrance into Grand Teton National Park -- which in the summer is a wonderful thing. Despite the reviews of crowds in the parks during the summer, we were often the only people at the gate. We took a 5 mile hike up a glacier canyon, took pictures from the vantage point that made Ansel Adams famous, and enjoyed some perfect 70 degree top down days. We also encountered a herd of bison, as my blog title alludes to. Which at first seemed perfectly innocent...some bison crossing the road. We were smiling and taking pictures as the first few bison passed near by, as were the other people in their family cars. The problem is that the family cars around us resembled armored personnel carriers, whereas my Audi with the top down resembled lunch. The bison started grunting and surrounding the “weakling” vehicle. In a Mario Andretti-esque driving manuever, I reversed the Audi, circled behind a minivan for shelter, and quickly hit the “top up” button. Surrounded by 3 whole layers of fabric, we bravely rode out the onslaught of bison, unscathed (pics on the Picasa website). In retaliation, I ate a bison flank steak that night back in Jackson Hole. It was delicious.

Yellowstone was no less impressive, and the geysers really performed. Of course we saw Old Faithful -- but Castle Geyser, which erupts once per day unpredictably, went off in a spectacular display literally as we walked up. Further along, Beehive Geyser, which erupts roughly every 30 hours, also erupted, firing water and steam 200 feet high. This is a place that just feels primordial – sulfur hangs in the air all over the place, steam vents appear out of nowhere, and water bubbles in ponds all over the park. Then of course you have the Yellowstone Canyon, home to Lower Falls, which is twice the height of Niagara. We hiked down from the canyon rim to the top of it – and to watch that much water fall that far, that fast, is just inspiring. I could have watched it all day.

I'll end on a food note (always near and dear to my heart) – the streak ended today. Our dinner tonight (bison burger) was served with a bag of Lay's potato chips, and Andrea's appetizer dip came with packaged crackers. So perhaps the food revolution hasn't quite made it to this corner of Wyoming...