.All Trips / Central USA / North America / Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park’s beautiful Hayden Valley!

00 Hayden Valley

There are many beautiful valleys in Wyoming, but this one deserves a closer look.  Hayden Valley contains the outflow of Lake Yellowstone, with its Yellowstone River continuing north to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, then on towards the Missouri River.  The valley is named in honor of Ferdinand Hayden who did important early geologic surveys in the Yellowstone region.
The valley was known to pioneer trappers and explorers who made their way to Yellowstone Lake along the Yellowstone River.  Today it’s best known for a migrating herd of bison, which my wife and I have seen every time we’ve visited Hayden Valley.

(Bison herd, Hayden Valley)

If you’re lucky you might spot a grizzly or black bear, fox, coyote or wolf.  Elk, …

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“Pic of the Week”, June 19, 2020: American Bison, Keystone Gallery

02 Keystone Museum, Kansas (9)

We stopped by the Keystone Gallery after visiting Monument Rocks, south of Oakley, Kansas. Unfortunately the Gallery was not yet open for the season. Still, our stop turned out to interesting.
Immediately adjoining the Gallery was a large pasture wherein we spotted this bison. He was surprisingly near and, as we had a barb-wire fence between us, we hopped out of our car to try to snap some close-up photos — the closest I’ve ever been to a bison (a.k.a. buffalo).
At first we thought this bison was alone, but soon it became apparent that he was part of a small herd as others started drifting over a rise in the pasture.  A small reminder of a time when thousands of bison …

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“Pic of the Week”, September 27, 2019: Grand Staircase, Manitoba Legislative Building

00 Bison stairs

One of my favorite places to visit in Manitoba is the main entrance to it’s Legislative Building — home of the province’s governing body.  Within the entrance is a magnificent staircase framed by two bison — know affectionately by me as the Bison Stairs (but to most others as the Grand Staircase).  The bison is the symbol of the province of Manitoba.

The staircase is composed of Carrara marble and has three flights each with 13 steps.   The bison flanking the lower stairs are solid bronze and were cast in New York, each weighing 2 1/2 tons.  Apparently to install the bison without damaging the marble floors, the main entrance was flooded and left to freeze.  The bison were slide in on …

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“Pic of the Week”, August 14, 2015: Bison, Old Faithful Inn

46 Buffalo, Old Faithful Inn 07-2015 (60)

My wife and I recently spent our 30th wedding anniversary at Yellowstone National Park.  We stayed at the historic Old Faithful Inn and loved exploring the amazing and extensive geothermal sites of the area.  One of the most appealing natural features of Yellowstone is its wildlife.  We saw elk, deer, and herds of bison roaming freely.

Most every day we found this lone bison grazing near our parked car, enjoying the fresh grass and clover.  He seems gentle, but was very aware of our presence.  Bison can be extremely dangerous and have injured and even killed many tourists.  Be cautious around them and give them plenty of room.  Let your telephoto lens get you close, as mine did.  They are magnificent …

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.All Trips / Central USA / Montana / North America

National Bison Refuge

National Bison Refuge

The National Bison Refuge provides an excellent opportunity to see bison in their natural setting — the hilly grasslands of Montana. The Refuge is located just under an hour’s drive northwest of Missoula and is close to the road one drives from Missoula to Glacier National Park. The refuge includes a small visitor center, picnic area, limited hiking trails (walking in the refuge is regulated and mostly prohibited as the animals pose a danger to tourists), and a one way drive. The National Bison Refuge was established in 1908 and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; there is a modest admission fee of $5.00.

Highlights of …

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