Facing a Buffalo
The summer of 2016 was unforgettable. My friend, James and I drove over 3000 miles from the west coast to Pennsylvania. James is one of my best friends from college. Whenever we were studying we talked about embarking on a trip and seeing as much nature as it is possible. After my summer internship in Los Angeles we found a short period of time in which we could do just that.
We started in Los Angeles and drove through Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, the Great Salt Flats, Yellowstone National Park, Great Planes, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Chicago, Cleveland and we finished the trip in Erie, where we started our senior year at Mercyhurst University. The entire trip lasted just a little over a week. We barely got a glimpse of all of the magnificent places we wanted to see. However, we sill had a chance to experience remarkable adventures. One of the most memorable moments happened in Yellowstone during an early morning.
James and I woke up before the dawn so that we could get back to the park and see as much of it as we can. The roads were empty of cars and beautifully ornamented with the morning fog and first beams of sunshine coming out from behind the trees. I have always had a special place in my heart for Yellowstone National Park. Seeing it again made me feel like a little kid again. In Yellowstone we saw the Old Faithful Geyser, Grant Village and the Yellowstone lake. That was all that we had time for. When we had to leave, we felt like little kids that got a bite of their ice cream that fell on the ground before they got to take a second bite.
On the last stretch of our way out of Yellowstone, we were both carried away comprehending all the beautiful things that we have seen, remorsefully looking forward to the next time we would be here. After few miles of driving through dense woods there came a sharp right turn. As I banked my car slowly to the right I found my self face to face with a buffalo that was walking towards us in the middle of the road. It was no more then 20 feet away from us. Naturally I stopped the car as soon as I could making sure that I don’t make any sounds that could agitate the buffalo. After I put my car to a halt, I slowly put it in reverse so that I could go back and wait in the distance safely. As I turned my head around to look at the back windshield, I saw James holding a camera, looking at me with the angry “oh no you’re not” expression. What we did after that was probably extremely stupid of us but I’ll remember that short moment for a long time.
After a very quick exchange of arguments, James convinced me to stay the ground and slowly pass the buffalo on the side. I put the car to drive mode again and we started to proceed, watching very carefully every single move of the animal in front of us. My heart was racing, and I was very nervous and anxious. I did not want the animal to charge at us. In the few seconds that seemed to drag over a few minutes we passed the buffalo so close that if James reached out of the window he could pet it’s fur. The animal was calm and didn't make any aggressive moves. We passed through safely, but none of the pictures turned out well.
Most times I run away from situations that I find alarming. Truth is, things may seem dangerous simply because I don’t know much about them and I don’t have a solid prediction of what will happen. Things that scare you can may not be as bad as you think they are. Carefully, you can pass right by them and be ready for whatever awaits on the road ahead of you.
