Yellowstone August 2014: The Bison

The next day we were up early and exploring.  Mike and his family took off early and we had said our goodbyes the night before.  He had wanted to see some animals but hadn't seen any.  We were surprised because we always saw so many animals every time we're there.  This trip wasn't any different--the bison were everywhere.  It really is too bad that they missed it.
 
Our major run-in with the bison was at Sulfur Cauldron.  We were pretty far into the loop when we began seeing bison all around.  They were migrating from one end of the valley to the other, crossing the boardwalk (where we were) and fighting and more.  We tried to stay far away from the areas they were roaming, but there was one point when they came upon us and were about ten yards from us, separated only by a thin rail.  We held stock-still and waited for them to pass.  It was exhilarating and scary at the same time.  Luckily, they paid us no mind and continued on their way.

This is not zoomed in at all--and you know how cameras make everything look farther away.  They were so close

This picture gives you an idea of how close they were.  The bison walked right along the boardwalk, and the section we were on ended in a small circle, overlooking a cauldron, so we had nowhere to go but wait for them to pass by us. 

When we got to the end of the trail, we found this.  They closed off the trail because of the bison.  The trail is one big loop with a few shoot-off points but the beginning and the end are in the same parking area, and it definitely hadn't been closed when we arrived

Although the bison don't seem to care if an area has been closed specifically for them.  They go where they please

Even right next to the boiling pools of water

We saw bison throughout the day.  They did a spectacular job holding up traffic.

Bison and deer

 This one was tearing up a tree:

 Enjoying the heat and a nice roll in the mud: