Travel & Leisure Facts and Notes

The last sound my roommate Lindsey, and I wanted to hear at 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning was tapping on our bedroom window. Cracking open my right eye, I peeked out of the blinds. Ross and TeJay, our two best friends, had decided today they were taking us to Yellowstone Park, using hot chocolate and donuts as bait.

Reminded of the rotten odor of egg emitted from the geysers, I felt showering would be inconsequential. It only took us fifteen minutes to get bundled up in the car with our donuts. You wouldnt guess that the drive from Rexburg to Yellowstone would go so fast when you are in the company of your friends.

I ignited an insightful group interpretation of the literature I was required to study for Mondays English class. Ross had difficulty then convincing us that three hours of sleep is quite substantial for an adult. Ironically, I spent my time during this droll discussion making up for the early wake up call Zzzzzz.

If you are going to make this trek, autumn marks the perfect time when its not so cold and snowy. The travelling enjoyment soon heightened as we approached the entrance to Yellowstone, which only required $25 to enter this magical land. Yellowstone is mapped out with roads going around it, showing visitors all the best sights.

Its also good to go with friends who have done all the planning. They heightened the experience by bringing a picnic, so we not only felt like we were camping, but it saved some cash. And now, let the games begin: moose and buffalo spotting. During this game, I was astounded to discover the folly of my youth.

Somehow in elementary school, I was under the impression that buffalo were instinct. I cant say for certain when this misnomer occurred, but I recall learning about the overkilling of buffalo by the white man, and see this as a possible culprit of my misconception. However it happened, the herds of buffalo that we spotted at Yellowstone became quite an eye opening experience for me.

I found myself very eager to find all the buffalo possible which crowned me the winner of this game. The prize: an ice cream cone. Undoubtedly the credit of my victory can only be attributed to one source. Thank goodness for the buffalo.

The array of wildlife, paired with the unsurpassed scenery and geysers galore, created quite a trip through the park. Our particular vehicle also came equiped with live music via TeJay and his guitar, when he decided in his Honduran accent that he was going to marinade us.

My gratitude for the bison continued to escalate after we dined at a local restaurant with specialties of venison, and you guessed it, buffalo burgers. I came home with a new list of experiences to add to my life very deficient of excitement.

With the monotony of going to class, going to work day after day, I found what buffalo taste like. I found the buffalo still lives. I found the extraordinary clockwork within the earth as Old Faithful spews its juices day after day. I wonder if it gets tired of that monotony. I hope not, because it’s pretty exciting to see.