And Then They Were Gone….
It’s a good thing I posted we were leaving yesterday since (obviously) everything you read on the internet is always true.
Last night the wind kicked up, the temps dropped and voilà…miracles of miracles the little biting bastards were gone. It was like a whole new day dawned on a whole new place. Never in my RVing lifetime have I ever been so happy to see the wind. The absence of pesky little bugs and the forecast of 40 mph winds on the roads up north grounded us for another day in paradise. And what a welcome delay it was. We walked the trails, basked in the sun, sat on our front porch (I kid you not)!
I even managed a close encounter, and not of the planned kind. Polly and I were happily lounging on the north trail lost in the beauty of sea, white sand views and blue skies when suddenly doggie lets loose a blood-curdling howl. I turn around to see a 3,000 lb Bison with horns not 10 feet away with 5 other of his friendly mates right behind him.
Argh!! ****sh*t****!!
I give Polly the emergency “back” command (a command I taught her specifically for dire emergencies) and walk slowly away. As I was backing away I imagined the appalling flash of headlines -> “Dumb tourist rammed by Bison…..Subsequently consumed by gnats…Identification by dental records lead to Mexico…Link to Cartel suspected….” Oh, the horror has no end. Had I been more photographically-inclined I might even have landed the Bison-picture of the century, but thankfully I was not that stupid.
Yet another Nina disaster averted….Phew!
It’s been a welcome extra day and has given us a new appreciation for this wonderful place. Without the gnats this truly is a paradise island in the salten sea, but tomorrow we WILL move on….really we will…
That is terrific news about the disappearance of the gnats. So, in other words, visit Antelope Island in the spring only during very high winds!! Haha!
What a shock that must have been to sit up and see a bison staring at you…thank you, Polly! Had to laugh reading the news headlines! So clever.
Beautiful pictures of the island. Glad you got one nice day.
Travel safely!
Yeah seriously…the only place I’ve visited where the wind is my friend!
Nina
Good Girl Polly! Nina, you’re always so cool and collected, no pictures?
Great funny post, made our day!
Sue
Well I was pretty freaked out, I must admit. I have a huge respect for wild animals and never got that close, at least not intentionally! The scene just reminded me of all the dumb tourists that get too close to wildlife in the parks…and there I was!
Nina
Glad you did not get eaten by bugs or trampled by bison! Great pictures both yesterday and today. I loved the bison on the beach from yesterday’s post. I have a question (since we have a dog too!) is the salty environment hard on Polly’s feet? Do you have to rinse or do anything special? Just wondering.
Polly has pretty tough paws. Months of desert and mountain hiking have totally toughened them up, so she’s had no issues at all. The sands here are actually fairly soft (not too much salt). I rub off excess sand with my hands, but otherwise don’t do anything special.
Nina
OMG, you crack me up! I was in tears laughing about your adventures (which I’m so glad you survived) What a wonderful writer you are. We are going to be going to Utah first part of June, starting in Salt Lake City visiting family and hope to visit a lot of Utah….
Ooooo….that’ll be a hot, hot time, but it will still be pretty. Enjoy your visit!
Nina
I would have thought first part of June would still be relatively decent weather. Where is your next stop?
I’m guessing you’ll see regular temps in the 90’s by then. Utah heats up fast, fast, fast by June at least in the lower elevations. We came through in June 3 years ago and stayed most of our time at very high elevations to avoid the heat. Of course you never know…weather is fickle!
Nina
Looks amazing!! I am headed through that way in the next few days, might have to go to Antelope Island 🙂
If the current chill holds it will be very, very nice. I’d check the gnat situation before you arrive, but otherwise I’d recommend it.
Nina
What’s the rush?
Hubby has a plane to catch later this week, so we’ve got a date to make in Boise, otherwise I do believe we’d stay. Today is chilly too and gnat-free!
Nina
Your pictures bring back happy memories and the desire to go back. Love the stone mandalla. I didn’t see that. Great story about your bison encounter. I’m still laughing. Thanks!
Yeah, not sure who built it but it i liked the perspective with it on the beach. It’s near the RV area.
Nina
Try Blackstrap Molasses it is suppose to get ones iron levels up and mosquitoes aren’t suppose to bite but it needs to be the Blackstrap. Check that web site.
Loved your story of today especially where the Buffalo roamed.:-)
Fascinating! Another little gem I did not know!
Nina
I love the panorama header from Monument Valley… simply gorgeous! If you shot that I’d say you are most definitely photographically-inclined!
Thanks Gunta! I’m just glad my photo inclination didn’t overtake my common sense when the big old bison family crept up on me!
Nina
Who knew those beasts could be so sneaky! Incredible! Glad you are safe.
I tell you, no one was more surprised than me! Couldn’t believe those massive beasts had managed to sneak up on without me noticing! As it turned out they just waited for us to move off the trail and then filed down to the beach where they hung out the rest of the day. Guess they’re beach bums at heart!
Nina
nice to get a bonus day in a place you didn’t get to explore to its potential
So glad you had a good day with out gnats. What a buffalo story….thank goodness for a well trained dog! Looking forward to your next adventure.
We spent alot of time training Polly as a pup, and thankfully she’s very good at listening. It’s a must considering she’s in the wilds most of the time.
Nina
Those buffalo were a bit to close for comfort! Yikes!! I loved how you put your pics together like a collage today!!
Thanks. The collage is a “new” feature in WordPress that I wanted to try out. It’s been there a while, but I just haven’t tried it before. I kinda like it too.
Nina
Glad you got a bug-less experience there finally. My memory of that spot is http://boyinks4adventure.com/images/sized/images/blog_images/antelope16-627×417.jpg (picture whole truck that way..).
boys those gnats are BIG! Here in SE Ga. our gnats are small with huge teeth. They are so small many people call them no-see-ums. You sure will feel them, up your nose, in your hair, etc.
cheers, john
Ah yes, the joy of no-see-ums. We had some intimate encounters with those buggers in GA and FL on the coast a few years back. Nasty little devils…and you don’t even see them coming!
Nina
Yikes! Yup, that about sums it up. What a pic!
Nina
I’ve always heard one can catch more flies with honey than vinegar but haven’t yet figured out where the gnats fit into that analogy ….!!
Love to live your adventures thru your writings!
So essentially what you’re saying is I should cover Paul in honey thus directing all biting monsters to him and relieving me….hmmmm…so many possibilities on that one 😉
Nina
You had me laughing out load (lol for all you young readers 😉 ) at those headlines. Glad you had a day without gnats. You know, when the wife and I leave in our big RV in a few years, were just going to use your blog as an itinerary. You guys find the most magnificent places and again, your pictures are magnificent. I envy your eye with a camera.
Glad I can give ya a giggle…and a good itinerary 🙂
Nina
Glad you avoided a bison charge. This happened so often to visitors to Yellowstone when we were there.
It was exactly those kind of tourists I was thinking about when it happened. The ones I usually cringe about for getting too close to the wildlife…well now I can join them.
Nina
We have had some close encounters with bison, elk, and bear while hiking in Yellowstone. Unless you were attempting to coax Polly to get as close to the bison as possible for a great photo op, I don’t think you can join the ranks of the foolish parents who do just that with their kids.
Thankfully no, I was not that dumb. My first priority was to get our butts out of there. Although I admit…it would have been a helluva photo haha…maybe my last one?
Nina
Perhaps. 😉
Ditto on what flyfishnevada had to say about your blog. We are leaving the end of May from here in Apple Valley, CA for southern UT and have enjoyed your adventure in some of the areas we want to travel. I enjoy reading your adventures to my wife in the morning with cappuccino. Were now traveling all the Western US Roads not yet travel over the past 25 years in various RV types.
Oh excellent. Enjoy your time in Utah! It’s a fabulous state, although the weather can be brutal. If it gets hot, head for the hills! Plenty of high country in UT which is just as lovely as some of the lower elevation stuff.
Nina
I hate those little bugs! My first night down here by the Rio Grande in the Riverside Campground, I must have left something open and had a bunch inside. I get up on my dinette seat and use my dog hair roller on the ceiling around the light and it just sticks all the bugs to one sheet.
And the Bison? I would have clicked away, for sure! They would have found me dead, with great photos in the camera. 🙂
Hey, that hair roller idea is great!! I can totally see that working.
Nina
What a story….glad it ended well…great to have a well trained dog…and glad you got a gnat free day there….
We’ve had a few “close encounters” Polly and I, so it’s something I’ve worked on over the years. Thankfully she’s very good at picking up the “urgency” in my commands when I make them.
Nina
LOL! Love the headlines after bison encounter…you had me laughing. It’s not often something tickles my bones to laugh…thank you! BTW, thanks for sharing this beautiful site…I plan to visit next time I’m in the area.
Yeah, I had a pretty good chuckle myself with those 🙂
Nina
Tracking your teeth back to Mexico…had me laughing. It had to be such a WOW moment for sure..glad Polly took command. Good girl!! I’d take flies over gnats any day. In fact for flies last year we tried hanging a zip lock filled with a penny and water in it and I’d like to think it worked and kept them down, as hardly had any to contend to. Unfortunately, it doesn’t for gnats…but I know they live a short life :O)
Totally agree on the flies over gnats!! At least flies are just annoying. It’s the gnat bites that keel me over!
Nina