8//16 Museum of the Park Ranger & Buffalo

South of Mammoth Hot Springs, near the west end of Norris Canyon Road, is an original cabin once occupied by the U.S. Army/rangers. 

 

This is not a heavily traveled area, so this place does not get many visitors.  When I walked in, the lady interpreter was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, looking out the window.  She said she loved coming to work every morning because of the view of the meadow outside the porch!  I agree.  This was a beautiful, exceptionally quiet place.

The porch posts were made of the most incredible burled logs I have ever seen!  What bowls these would have made!  Obviously, they were chosen carefully for this cabin.

Heading on my way south to the Grand Tetons, I bumped into two Buffalo traffic jams.  The first big bull, decided to take the middle of the opposite lane.  Bulls are mostly solitary animals once they reach adulthood, and this guy was a big one.  There is no moving these bulls, by the way.  They are big enough to do exactly what they want to do, so you just have to wait until they decide to move out of your way.

Check out the scars on his rump.  He has obviously been gored by another bull at some time and healed.

Here is a more peaceful bull, grazing another the new-growth trees.

 

  And this bull prefers walking along the double-yellow lines.

He was a pretty big guy, also!  Can you imagine what those horns could do to nice, shiny paint?  They move slowly and ponderously, but if needed, they can run at 35 MPH.