“I got the Bison in the Morning and the Moon at Night”
Sep 29 2009
A couple of weeks ago after visiting my cousin, the other Tom Wahl, in Fargo, ND, we went to the western side of ND to visit Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We had a lot of highlights including a 2-hour trail ride on horseback. My horse was a bit uncooperative. I kept yelling “whoa” and pulling back on the reins, and just he wouldn’t stop (can’t they put brakes on these things?). The handler said to pull up the reins really hard. When I did and the horse raised his head, the handler yelled, “don’t pull up on the reins” – great help he was.
We saw wild horses and a few prairie dog towns (housing starts haven’t slowed for these little guys). The best though was our experience with the bison. It was mating season, so the bulls were “rutting” (a deep, loud grunting noise, almost like tigers) and declaring their domination over other bulls. To me it reminded me of a couple of schoolyard kids saying “oh yeah” – “yeah” – “oh yeah” – “yeah” back and forth. There was a lot of rutting but not much action.
The bison did however control the roads. We sat in the middle of a few herds as they moseyed back and forth across the road and around our car. These animals are imposing – they weigh up to 2,000 lbs, can run up to 30 mph, and can turn on a dime. It would have been better to be ignorant while driving through these big fellas.
One night we put up our tent so the boys and I could sleep outside. At about 4 am, I thought I heard odd noises. I listened closer and sure enough, the noises were the grunting and rustling of the bulls – and they were getting closer. I decided it was better to be surrounded by bison while in the RV rather than the tent. I gathered the kids, told them what was happening and that we should head to the RV before the bison got too close. Both boys were up quickly and Sam instinctively grabbed his toy revolutionary rifle as he prepared to make a run for the RV. It was quite a site to see him looking at us, his hands gripped tightly around the rifle. I don’t know if he meant to protect us or was worried about the bison running over his rifle and breaking it.
We got in the RV and couldn’t sleep, so we sat around listening, watching, and waiting. Sure enough, the bison came strolling through our campsite in an hour – grazing and grunting. One bison seemed to look at our tent as if it was a snack. It was fantastic to see, but I was happy to be watching from the RV.
Eeeeeee!
Tom you need to write a book when you are finally settled because you have some great stories. So I guess trying to pat the bison was out of the question
Hey tell MC that we have taped her show but there are a few problems with the recording.
@Pat, thanks for taping the PBS series on the National Parks! we’ll take what you can provide – the series costs $100 on DVD so your version will be great, even with any glitches.
you are getting closer to southern utah…are you planning on coming this way? let us know as we’d still like to host your family at a covered dish, but we need some notice.
What a fantastic adventure Saw the write-up in Highways magazine Have you considered the Reno NV area? It is a great place to raise a family and has a strong homeschooling community Our boys are now in college, but we homeschooled for years. There is a beautiful area north of Reno/Sparks near Pyramid Lake—Palomino Valley If you’re interested check out this home listing a great family home and country living one more place to consider for your new home perhaps. http://www.stjosephstatue.com/homes/listing.mv?109118
Hi,
My husband is x military & we’ve heard about you. We live in the Tetons & would love to offer some hospitality. If you are in the neighborhood, give us a shout. Our sons are 10 & 13.
Kathy
@Bob and Beverly – We’re trying to see if it fits because we have to get to Santa Barbara. Can you email us? Thanks.
@Kathy B. – What a great invite, one of our favorite parts of the country too! I’m sorry though, but we’ve left the area. Do you line IN the Tetons? Please email us at wahlsacrossamerica@mac.com.