Weekend Picks: Learning the way of the buffalo

Sep. 7—What can we learn from the American bison?

That there's strength in unity, for one.

Or that if you want to survive on the High Plains, it's best to be covered in dense wool and have horns on your forehead to better ward off challengers. I'm sure many Wyomingites would also appreciate the ability to use that approximately 400-pound head to send certain tourists into an aerial cartwheel.

I admit, I've always respected that bison are happy to remind us of past transgressions — that whole "eradicating-five-million-bison-in-10-years" ordeal — at every chance they get, whether that's in Yellowstone National Park or a University of Colorado football game.

Despite having massive heads and dense skulls (characteristics I share with these American icons), they are also smart enough to clump together before a hailstorm arrives to batter them. I admired this intuition on Labor Day when I took a trip out to Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, a vast and under-appreciated expanse just south of the Wyoming-Colorado border.

The site has a designated range for the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd, easily admired with binoculars or spotting scope from the pull-offs and higher vantage points heading to the recreation point. I know it's a conservatory, but it's the closest I've gotten to watching the bison in their natural habitat. Plus, it was another good reminder of how even the large, furry beasts have a better sense of their surroundings than I do.

"Oh look," I thought, peering through my binoculars at the calves running ahead of their parents. "They're all heading into that ditch."

The thunder overhead was happy to show me why.

Back in the safety of my truck, I continued watching as the largest male waited toward the back while the rest of the herd disappeared with it's young into the shallow gulley. Once the herd had entered lower elevation — the safest place to be when lightning strikes in open air — the single male followed along, just in time for the storm to pass.

The hail returned several times, and the best I could do was angle my truck near the vacant ranger station, hoping the projectiles didn't grow large enough to punch a hole in the roof and lobotomize me.

It's just like Mark Spragg wrote in his memoir, "Where Rivers Change Direction": "If you don't like the weather in Wyoming, either wait five minutes or drive five miles."

I waited, and soon enough, sunlight split through the cloud cover, but the "wait five minutes" rule goes both ways. Arriving with the light was the famous wind, keeping me from enjoying the elements I had patiently held out for.

The day was by no means a loss, however.

The landscape of the High Plains continues to fascinate and inspire me. The Big Empty is isolating, but it's one of the few places I've been in my life thus far where watching the sea of dying wheatgrass ebb to the westward gusts of wind, the imposing Rocky Mountain ridgeline and the occasional speckling of pronghorn (and abundance of meadowlarks) make me feel present in a way that a city fails to.

I guess that's another thing bison and I have in common.

Yes, we can learn from the bison, but we also have opposable thumbs, the capacity for abstract thought, and the ability to produce spoken and written language. Unless the bison have bested mankind in the lost art of keeping a secret, we will remain the top of the food chain until bovines make profound evolutionary leaps.

Until then, they will not know the joy of taking part in community events — how unfortunate.

Tomorrow is the final Hell on Wheels Rodeo and Chuck Wagon dinner — the final chance for residents to experience a local rodeo before the temperature drops and snow prevents even the most accessible outdoor activity.

The following day is the Cheyenne Hispanic Festival, held in the Cheyenne Depot Plaza from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. There will be live music and dance performances, as well as local art and food that celebrates Hispanic and Latino culture, with a particular emphasis on education for the community. Make sure to catch the Capital City Car and Bike Club Show at the festival, as well.

If you're free the previous night, get a jump on the next day by seeing stand-up comedian Cristela Alonzo at the Cheyenne Civic Center at 7:30 p.m.

Treat the festival as a "home base" for other events throughout the day on Saturday, specifically the Arts & Aviation Center Open House from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. This will be the first opportunity for residents to visit the old Cheyenne Airport Terminal and provide input feedback on what can be done to renovate the space for the community.

Saturday night is reserved for the metalheads of Cheyenne. The Lincoln Theatre is hosting the next installment of its Local Music Showcase series with Metal Band Night, a genre that has a rich community in Wyoming's capital city.

Those lookin for a change of scenery can head to Laramie on Saturday for the Wyoming Archaeology Fair at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. Or, if learning sounds nauseating, catch the Wyoming Cowboys take on the Portland State Vikings a week after a primetime win over the prolifically punishing Texas Tech Red Raiders last weekend.

You could also drive south on Saturday to check out the Fight the Stigma Festival in Fort Collins, Colorado, previous covered in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's ToDo section. The community-backed event has the goal of creating a safe space for those struggling with substance addiction, while also giving the community great music to unite over.

Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.