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Actually the first two close
meetings with buffalo (buffali?) were quite benign.
On the Yellowstone Trip in 05,
stepping out of my cabin a hundred yards of so from
Old Faithfull,
this ever alert biker
noted a movement in the peripheral vision. Quickly
turning, I met Old Buffalo Breath Hisself passing
through.
 
Later. learning that
Yellowstone buffali are (somewhat ) tame or at least
not particularly aggressive, I passed many as walked
about checking to see if different geysers tasted
different - always kept some distance though.
 
Not like some insane people
that wanted to get close enough to rub noses. I sat
on the porch and took pictures waiting for the blood
and gore, but the buffalo were too smart to risk an
easy gig by disemboweling dumb tourists.
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While riding one may
encounter a whole pod of buffalo.
Note, I be sitting in the correct lane with engine
off - giving them compete right of way, mammas,
caves, bulls and all. Also note, there is only one
of me, all alone, out in the open, while the
critters are being urged my way by protected people
in large metal thingees.
The gaggle came on, getting closer
and closer. Note, I have backed down slope,
coasting, engine off and changed lanes to give
them as much room as possible to pass.
Finally, vehicles came up
behind me and the buffali choose to turn left, leave
the road and go uphill as they were now outnumbered.
I retrieved a dropped and stepped on glove, started
up and slowly drove away.
The next day, leaving
Yellowstone I passed a large herd, several hundred,
to the right of the road. Some senseless young
buck/bull a quarter of a mile off road apparently
decided he did not like the sound of a Virago and
began chasing me, full gallop, cutting across the
prairie on inside of the corner. No real worry as,
although had I kept a constant speed he would have
caught me, I just gave more throttle and he didn't
even come close. |
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This year (09)
on this trip there
were two absolutely terrifying encounters - no
pictures though - things happened too fast and bowel
control was more of a concern than pictures.
Wildlife Loop, Custer State
Park, Black Hills, SD., 18 miles of Wildlife, some
the size of the Titanic, or so it seems to one on a
motorbike.
http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/custersp.htm
First encounter, a solitary
bull ( I think, both sexes have horns) but this time
of year mammas have calves.
He is grazing contentedly
on the right, but as I approach he decides the grass
is greener on the left and crosses in front of me. I
come to a stop engine idling until he clears the
road and is 20 or 30 feet off the left shoulder.
Slowly accelerate and out of corner of eye (remember
good biker peripheral vision) see him swap ends and
charge, full speed ahead. Very, very fast for a ton
of meat. WOT, no time downshift, concepts/images
come faster than words, one simply has no time to
think - just REACT - as much as possible in one and
a half seconds. "HE'D GONNA MISS (BARELY) MY LEG -
PROBABLY HIT REAR OF BIKE - WILL I BE ABLE TO STAY
ON??(In the words of Captain Scully) BRACE FOR
IMPACT (of rear of bike being shoved violently to
the right) PAST and see peripherally beastie stopped
short stiff front legs foot or two away from impact
- HIS CHOICE - he couldda creamed me - now time to
be scared and shaking, but with clean underwares.
A few miles further on the
18 mile Wildlife Loop (turn back? Never, being much
dumber than I look) round a tree shielded
corner and find self with 2 or 3 buffalos on each
side of road, all facing away 40 or 50 feet
from the road. Quick thoughts - "If I stop it will
be right between each group - Not good!!!"
Going slow didn't work a few minutes ago - what to
do, what to do???? Well they are a bit off the road,
perhaps if I don't slow but keep constant
speed/engine noise they will ignore me. Dumb, dumb,
dumb!!!!! One on the left swaps end for end (amazing
how fast they can do this) and develops a full head
of steam in a couple of steps and closes off the
port bow at supersonic speed. On right, perhaps a 12
inch rocky shoulder followed by a rocky ditch. Pull
right as far as I can and feel something (horn)
graze/flick coat sleeve as passed him - again
stopping of his choice, with rigid fore legs.
Think to self, "What if had not pulled those 6 or 8
inches to the right??) But, still had clean drawers.
Later being a devout and
practicing coward who is allergic to the sight of
(my) blood and pain, slow learner that I am, I
retreated from the next encounter
and felt more comfortable
with these
these,
and
even these
 .
FWIW, I met a young man at
the Mammoth Site, whose family raises gaggles of
buffalo along the Big Muddy where I frequently ride.
He told me that buffalo have poor vision and see
things in a vertical plane sharper than objects in a
horizontal plane. Thus they are better able to
discriminate things that cross a vertical axis
(predator movements along the horizon) than things
that cross a horizontal axis (up/down), I
guess more wolves than eagles carry buffalos
away. Also his
family has had to replace mufflers on some vehicles
as the buffalo charge things that sound like other
buffalo. Rangers told me of bikes being
destroyed and riders having to take shelter inside a
nearby car for the same reasons.
Perhaps, from a distance
the Virago
sounds like a buffalo and even looks like a buffalo,
it tis not until a real buffalo comes close
that they can discriminate that rather than a
challenger I am actually a lily livered
coward, doing my best to slink away, unnoticed.
-- and so endeth the
buffalo tails or tales as the case may be. Now,
aren't you sorry you asked, Jeremy |
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