When we drove into Yellowstone park from the Grand Tetons, we were headed to Mammoth Hot Springs. We drove through Hayden Valley at twilight and saw elk and bison. Even a single buffalo will cause a traffic slow down, so you can imagine what kind of buffalo-jams we had driving through the valley and seeing groups of male elk with fuzzy antlers or buffalo just munching grass right beside the road. Animals how are not bothered by the road and cars are called “road-habituated.”

We watched a buffalo take a dust bath not more than 3 yards from our car. It was one of the highlights of the trip — and definitely the best video I took.

Notice that his tail is not up. If you see a buffalo with an arched tail, a ranger told us it means: “Charge or Discharge.” We saw a buffalo break from a standstill into a trot, and he moved fast! That is a ton of animal with sharp horns and sharp hooves moving fast.

Yellowstone National Park has more than 4,500 buffalo and they range freely across the landscape. No fences. Somehow this idea was just awe inspiring when SH and I were there during the last 10 days in July. Click here for more information about buffalo in Yellowstone.