Don't Pet the Fluffy Cows!
- davisnika
- Aug 13
- 6 min read
When I ride, I put on a baseball cap after removing my helmet that says "Adult Supervision Required." It's a joke between my husband and me, but I didn't grasp the seriousness of the phrase until our recent bike trip. In the summer of 2025, we traveled over 6,000 miles across 11 states and visited four national parks. In three of the parks (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier), we were on a mission to see wildlife, with moose and bear at the top of the list.
Our first opportunity for "operation see wildlife" was in Grand Teton National Park, and mistakes were made. I was focused on capturing a photo of the antler arch in Jackson, which took up too much of our time and subsequently reduced our time at Grand Teton. However, we discovered a back road with a stunning view of the Grand Tetons before we stopped at the park sign with the peaks in the background. Afterwards, we proceeded to Mormon Row, another beautiful backdrop to the Grand Tetons. While there, it began to rain, so we made the executive decision to skip a hike and continue on to Yellowstone National Park. Spoiler alert... that decision potentially cost us the chance to see both bear and moose..
In Yellowstone National Park, I was most excited to see Old Faithful, bison, and elk. Old Faithful was first. We had about a 25-minute wait before seeing it erupt. Old Faithful was a bucket list accomplishment, but after visiting Yellowstone for three days, I was far more impressed with other geysers. We saw no wildlife on day one. The next morning, we reentered the park with a renewed focus on "operation see wildlife"!
While I didn't know it at the time, I saw my first elk just a few minutes after entering the park on day two. A woman approached the elk in the brush, and I honestly thought it was a horse. We didn't stop and continued on until we came to a halt on the road due to bison! I was focused on the bison in the distance before I realized one was walking toward us. It was in that moment I saw people getting out of their cars and heading toward the bison. While I had previously watched some reels of people approaching wildlife, I didn't realize just how widespread the stupid action had become. We were on a motorcycle with a bison approaching us, and I wanted to be safe and sound in a car! A ranger came to move the cars along, and the distance was widened between us and the bison.
I wish I could say that was the worst experience in Yellowstone NP, but it was far from it. While riding on the east side of the park, we saw a few bison in a luxurious steam bath. It was a beautiful picture from a safe distance. Again, as if on cue, cars stopped along the road, people got out of their cars, and we witnessed a parent dragging his children toward the bison! The words that went through my head at that time will not be shared, but why would anyone place their children in harm's way? Lamar Valley was the worst of it. There were literally hundreds of bison in herds, and people made efforts to approach! The bison in the park are not domesticated. They are not cows, and they certainly are not pets. One of the souvenir shops got it right and printed a t-shirt that stated "Don't Pet the Fluffy Cows!"
On our third day, we relocated to lodging outside the north entrance of Yellowstone NP in Gardiner, Montana. By this time, we had seen numerous elk both in Lamar Valley and just outside of Mammoth Hot Springs. That evening, we walked to dinner and saw an elk lying on the back side of the restaurant. As we were returning to our Airbnb, we walked on a sidewalk and passed by an enclosed area. An elk was inside that area and charged at us. It lowered its head to use its antlers but had no antlers and was also stopped by the fencing. As shared in my previous article, "Hobby For Two, Please," this girl has some flight issues, and I placed a parked car between me and it. The hubs continued to walk on the sidewalk and did not even look toward the elk. I can only imagine a parent dragging his/her children towards the "friendly elk." Again, wildlife are not pets!
While in Gardiner, we went white-water river rafting! Our party of two was placed with a family of four with two boys aged 11 and 15. The hubs volunteered us for the front two positions, and the two boys sat behind us, with their parents sitting behind them. We were given quick training with the paddles, and off we went.
The 11-year-old sat behind me and was barely able to get his paddle in the water. However, the paddle did connect with my hand and elbow several times (ouch). The 15-year-old needed additional help. My husband attempted to count to help the teenager paddle, but with no success as my husband was hit with the paddle several times as well and even took a hit to his head. The worst was the scream the 15-year-old boy made each time we hit a relatively significant rapid. The first time he screamed, my husband thought the boy had fallen in and was prepared to pull the boy back in the raft. At the end of our experience, my husband and I were quite tired as the majority of the paddling fell on us.
I am 100% in favor of the boys having this experience, but the parents could have done several things differently: 1) given a simple heads-up to inform us and the guide of limitations, sensory sensitivities, etc., before the trip; 2) selected a half-day trip, rather than a full-day trip, to test the boys' ability and enjoyment level; or 3) requested a private trip for their family of four with a guide prepared to do the bulk of the paddling. We did see beefalo (a hybrid breed of cattle and bison), more elk, and some great bird nests on the rafting trip, but no moose or bear.
In national or state parks with wildlife, cars pull over every time there is something to see. In Glacier National Park, we heard another biker say, "they (cars) will stop to see a butterfly on a rock!" While that may sound outlandish, it is so true. Glacier NP had great road signs stating if three or more vehicles were behind the lead vehicle to pull over and let the other vehicles pass. Well, those signs must be written in invisible ink! Furthermore, if a wildlife viewing spot is involved, be prepared for a free-for-all with parking... anything goes!
I had high hopes of seeing a moose or bear in Glacier National Park. Technically, a grizzly bear sighting occurred on one of our hikes, but my picture only captured a shadowy figure. However, the sight of the shadowy figure solidified my desire to view from a distance. That grizzly was a beast!
Custer State Park in South Dakota featured some very informative signage. My favorites included "Wildlife at Large," "Do Not Feed Wildlife View From a Distance," and "Buffalo Are Dangerous Do Not Approach." We traveled the Wildlife Loop and observed some bison from a distance, a few pronghorn, and experienced burro mania. While the burros might seem out of place, they are descendants of pack animals used by miners in the Black Hills area. Feeding of any wildlife in the park is prohibited, although the rule was entirely disregarded during burro mania. (See below.) We saw some interesting handwritten signage outside the park as well. It read "Slow moose on the run." We did get a good laugh and saw neither a slow moose nor one on the run.
There have been numerous reports of injuries involving wildlife and humans. Despite this, people continue to act as if they are invulnerable, approaching unpredictable animals. "Operation See Wildlife" didn't unfold as I had hoped, but observing animals in their natural habitat was still a wonderful experience. We definitely encountered more bison and elk on our trip, yet as far as I know, there's no such thing as a "Bison/Elk Whisperer." Stay safe and remember, don't pet the fluffy cows.
The Blonde Backpack
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