A Vacation from our Vacation

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

It felt like a true blessing when we drove into Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Just between the visitor’s center and the campground, we saw a gaggle of turkeys, bison, and two wild horses.  We arrived just in time to go for an evening round on the wildlife loop. It felt like the hills were welcoming us home. 

As we drove along the loop, we would see wild horse bands in the distance.  It was such fun… David would peer through his binoculars and I through the camera’s long lens, each trying to identify the band first.

We rounded the topside of the loop and were delighted to find old friends… the roan and his band.  We pulled off to watch and take a few photos.  The band seemed restless.  At first we thought that it was because of us, however, we soon discovered another old friend coming out from behind a hill… the black stallion.  He and his band seemed to be grazing in extremely close proximity to the roan.

Over the next half hour, we were privileged to witness these two stallions working out their issues along the park road.  It felt like the roan was taking control.  At first he pawed the ground, shaking his mighty head.  (Below is a video of his pawing… much too close because I had the long distance lens attached to the camera… and also, please excuse the shakiness... I’m still learning!) 

 The black corralled his band away from the fray and led them down the road, stopping about fifty feet from the roan and his band.  The black’s band stood clustered near the guard railing. 

Then the roan made his move, walking closer to the black.  He stopped to smell each pile of poop along the road and added his own on top… a stallion’s way of saying that he is top dog.  The black took offense and sauntered straight toward the roan.  Both stopped about twenty feet from one another, eyes locked and ears straight forward.

After a few moments, each stallion returned to his band.  When the black began approaching again, the roan and his boss mare stood at attention, staring at the black. 

Soon tensions seemed to dissipate, and each band went back to their grazing.  As we watched the roan and his boss mare, they seemed to lovingly touch noses. 

Wow!  

We returned to the campground and set up camp in one of our favorite spots.  The sun set, painting the clouds red, then blue, then gray.  As the stars came out one by one, we toasted the night.  It truly felt like we were on vacation from our vacation.

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