Peaceful Valley Sunset
Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s Peaceful Valley
I was told by a park ranger that elk were elusive in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but if you walked between Peaceful Valley and the river before sunset your odds would increase greatly as the elk came out to drink from the Little Missouri River then. Well, I didn’t see any elk, but while I was taking this photo (and enjoying the solitude of the place as there were no people whatsoever), a herd of about 100 bison crossed the river (photo coming tomorrow) and got between me and my car. That may not seem like a big deal if you think bison and cows are basically the same type of creature, but I had been spooked by hearing a recent account of how bison gored numerous people in Yellowstone. Also, the sound bison make is nothing like the sound coming from cattle. They sound like lions and look far more dangerous than any farm animals. I made it out of there without being gored, and the experience is now one of the more magnificent memories of my life.
