Monday, October 10, 2022

T Stands for Yellowstone Breakfasts and LOTS of Bison

 Hi everyone. Last week went very fast, and here it is time for T again already.

I think we will all miss Bleubeard and Elizabeth this week for T over at her blog.  Hopefully her jury duty will be over by next week, and she'll be back to join us. She and I spoke, and I will be your guest host this week. I don't think I can fill her shoes, but I am happy to help her out.

Since I've started sharing some photos from Yellowstone National Park, let me share what we had for breakfast the 3 mornings we were in the park. This is a bit of a long post- so sorry!

Most mornings we wanted to get an early start, so we opted for junk food in the car. If you've been to Yellowstone you know how big the park is and driving from place to place can take quite a while. Plus, since we visited in September, many of the dining facilities had closed down, so the only place nearby to get breakfast was the main restaurant of the complex we stayed in (Grants Village).  Not that breakfast would take that long, but still longer than munching as we hit the road.

As  kids for both my husband and myself, road trips always meant donuts. Some memories just stick with you, and even now, road trips often mean a chance to have donuts.  These Hostess mini donuts  bought at the mini-store/gas station at Grant Village are still pretty tasty (although yes, not at all healthy) considering there was no place to buy "real" donuts nearby (and yes, those are not really healthy either). 

One morning we went for chocolate covered. And on another we opted for crunch.


And one morning I really needed actual food, plus we were tired and not as concerned about getting an early start, so we opted for the buffet at the village restaurant.


You can see both my mixed-berry juice and the oj  that my husband had. He also had coffee, which for some reason didn't make it into the photo. This is my T day photo. T Day is held every week over at 

And let me share a few more trip photos with you to finish off my post. We did see a lot of bison. (If you're not interested, now is the time to jump down comments, or click off if you aren't going to comment.)



I didn't know that the bison at Yellowstone are all from animals that have been on that land since prehistoric times. Their numbers were down to about 24 in 1902, and that was when the park instated a program to bring up the numbers of bison. There are now estimated to be around 5000 bison in the park. None  of those bison were  relocated into the park, but are offspring from the original program founded in 1902.  (You can read more here if you're interested: Yellowstone Bison.)

This herd (in the above photos) was a bit on the far away side, but later that day, when we drove as far along in the north-east direction as we could into part of the Lamar Valley (you might remember that parts of Northern Yellowstone had horrible floods back in the spring that still closed off bits to traffic), we came across a lot of bison. We were able to park and watch them for 45 minutes or so.

I love watching wildlife, so this was one of the highlights of the trip for me.




This guy at the top of the above photo was having fun rolling in the dirt. You can even see some of his dust. Bison don't look that limber, but I guess they are. They also don't look like they can run fast, but they certainly can do that too.


And these 4 (below) decided to go swimming.





And one thing none of my photos (including these) show is how many bison there were in this area.





Then just as we were to drive away from watching these bison, about a dozen bison decided to cross the road right in front of us.





I guess grazing on the other side of the road was better.


And if you aren't sick of bison yet, another one we  came across had decided to take a walk down the road.


And several minutes later, after we arrived at a higher elevation and could look back down to the road, he was still taking his stroll. 


And finally,  later that same day, here's another bison we met. He was taking a walk along the road we were driving on, this time coming towards us on the same side of the road as we were on.


 I managed a great frontal shot. He looks sweet and furry, but since he's wild and way way bigger than me, I stuck with snapping a quick  photo as we drove by him.

Note: Bison can run 35 miles an hour (about 56 kph) which is way faster than any human can run. They also weigh 800-2200 pounds (360 kg-998 kg), depending on their age and whether they are male or female. And they are wild animals.  Even though they are great to watch them, it is much better to leave them be and keep your distance. 

That's more than enough for T, even though I could show you bison photos all day. Smile. 

Thanks for visiting, and have a great T day and week ahead also.





27 comments:

Kate Yetter said...

Wow, that is a lot of bison! Your photos are magnificent in not only showing off the wildlife but also the park. I have never been to Yellowstone but would love to go. Looks like a great way to travel, with a bag of donuts. I have never seen the crunch version of those donuts.
Looks like you had fun!
Happy Tea Day,
Kate

Angie's Recipes said...

The bison are looking really handsome and the views around are just beautiful. They are treated well and some lucky animals.

Iris Flavia said...

I once had a donut. Once. I was in the city ;-)
Oh, no wait, I once had a "pizza-donut" - it was dry like... old bread.
There are (sweet) donut shops here now, too, Germany is always a little behind...
But I know what you mean about food being connected to memories of back then.

Eggs and strawberries. Interesting!

I (certainly) have never seen a bison! Reckon they are huge.
I wonder what they think seeing the occational car in the park.
They are amazing animals! Never knew they go for a swim.
Reckon it would be a bad idea to pet one? They look so friendly... Going for a stroll! We are all but one. Bison, human, who cares! A bit stubborn, this one, LOL... traffic? I don´t care...
Ohhh, and so fluffy!

Ui! Speed cams in German cities would take pics of them at full speed! 50 km/h is the limit!
Yikes. Reckon that mass at that speed takes a long way to come to a halt!

To a great T-Day and feel free to show more of those wonderful animals! Hugs and thank you!

jinxxxygirl said...

Great post Erika! And great job hosting!! Love all the Bison!! I heard Yellowstone actually has too many Bison now and they are looking to cull some.. That pretty far away from only having 23! Happy Tday ! Hugs! deb

NatureFootstep said...

wonderful memories. I have been there, seen it upclose. And I mean upclose. A bit too close actually. The bison wanted to pass a fence and started running. I was standing at a treetunk so they just passed me. :) It was an adventure. :)

kathyinozarks said...

Good morning Erika, you captured many wonderful bison photos-even saw them swimming too-totally enjoyed your post thanks for sharing. hugs Kathy

Aimeslee Winans said...

Hi Erika, I did read your book post but didn't comment. I haven't been into reading lately at all. I hope you aren't sick of talking about Charles Goodnight (Lonesome Dove's Woodrow Call, Tommy Lee Jones, was based heavily on Goodnight). Well, Charlie moved to the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon in West Texas after the Civil War and ended up growing his own private herd of buffalo along with his cattle, even cross-bred a species he called the cattalo. Anyway, that herd at Yellowstone are descendants of part of Charlie's herd. He gave some to Yellowstone to start it, the rest were donated by his heirs for a permanent preserve here in Texas at Caprock Canyon State Park. Cattalo still exist, they are a boutique breed. I saw some once, the face of a cow on the body of a buffalo. XXO

Jackie McGuinness said...

We loved Yellowstone. We just did a 35 day road trip and love them. Breakfast was included almost everywhere we stayed. But lunch for us for "junk". Chips, peanuts, chocolate, whatever was handy and quick.

DVArtist said...

Your actually breakfast looks sooo good. There is nothing quite like the country at Yellowstone and the Buffalo. In my younger years I helped out on a buffalo ranch in Mt. Have a lovely day today.

R's Rue said...

Beautiful photos. Now i want donuts.

Mae Travels said...

Last time we were on a road trip we were stuck in Noah’s flood (that is, an Oklahoma rainstorm) and had to buy gas station food — yep, Hostess donuts. Child hood memory disappointed. We actually tossed half the bag.

We loved seeing those incredible huge numbers of buffalo when we were in Yellowstone. I really enjoyed your photos — I like them anywhere! In fact, here in Ann Arbor there is a captive buffalo herd as well. And many other places we’ve been. At the North Rim of the Grand Canyon we also saw a hybrid Beefallo herd.

best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Valerie-Jael said...

Love the beautiful photos of Yellowstone, and the lovely bison. And I love the sound of those donuts!. the bakery here sells great ones, too, but try to avoid the shop! Hugs!

Empire of the Cat said...

Wow I would love to go there! Those bison look so majestic don't they (maybe not the one rolling around in the dirt lol) and that's fantastic to have increased their numbers to 5000! Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

Carola Bartz said...

I have always loved the bison in Yellowstone (and anywhere else). There is something so... ancient about them. They are the ones who really own this place. Lamar Valley is one of my favorite regions in Yellowstone. We usually went there very early in the morning to look for wolves (and most times saw them). It is such a beautiful valley, wild and peaceful at the same time. Seeing your pictures makes me want to go back.

Let's Art Journal said...

Oh, Yellowstone is one of my favourite places to visit - I love Wyoming and have been there many times 😊. Such beautiful photos and buffalo are so big, I stayed out of their way when we visited ...lol! The donuts and breakfast look yummy. It's so kind of you to host T Day this week and thanks so much for your lovely comments on my blog! Take care and Happy T Day wishes! Hugs Jo x

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Great photos of the bison.

CJ Kennedy said...

I like the Hostess powdered sugar donuts best though they aren't very neat eating as the powder is all over the place. The bison rolling in the dirt looks like he's having fun. I love the birds hanging out on the backs of the bison. I guess there aren't many electrical wires around. Happy T Day

Joan said...

Fabulous photos, love to see the Bison

pearshapedcrafting said...

I love donuts but don't want to even think about what having them as breakfast would do to my sugar levels!
I really love seeing the Bison - a fascinating animal - how lucky you were to see so many! Happy T Day, hugs, Chrisx
ps is it usual for egg and sausage to come on the same plate as berries?

Lowcarb team member said...

Goodness me ... that looks a lot of bison.
Great photographs.

All the best Jan

Sharon Madson said...

We have been there and seen the bison. Really something. You got a great close up photo. I am impressed! Happy T Day.

Sharon Madson said...

I forgot to thank you for filling in for Elizabeth! :)

David M. Gascoigne, said...

On a road trip we always make a whole batch of trail mix before we leave and that keeps us going in the car. We also tend to snack on things like chickpeas - open the can, drain the liquid and you're good to go. It is sad to contemplate that bison once numbered into the millions and other than for a few isolated populations like this one we exterminated them all. Ah, humans..... hugs - David

Jeanie said...

Those bison are so impressive! Does Fundy Blue come here? She recently posted a book about the geology of Yellowstone that she read before her visit. If she doesn't and you're interested, let me know -- I'll dig out the url.

Lisca said...

Thank you so much for hosting. I hope Elizabeth's jury duty doesn't take too long.
I'm afraid I'm not a fan of donuts. Of course I have no idea how American donuts taste like, but here in Europe we get them (non frosted) and they are deep fried, and feel heavy on the stomach. But your buffet breakfast looks good though.
Wow! What amazing photos of the bison! And what a privilege that you were able to get so close to these magnificent animals. They epitomize America in my eyes.
Hugs,
Lisca

Divers and Sundry said...

I'll take either breakfast :) or maybe both ;)

So many bison! They look darker than the ones around here. Gorgeous scenic photos!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Nothing wrong with donuts for breakfast, Erika, and when on vacation we always treat ourselves to ice cream for lunch. The bison sightings were amazing and one day maybe we will visit some of the national parks.