Our Montana Vacation … Where the Buffalo Roam (Part 5)

I blogged about our Montana Vacation as a series; don't miss parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6!

The main reason we traveled to Montana was to visit family — Mike’s sister Karen, her husband Brad, and their five kids.   And the reason they live in Montana is to raise bison.   They moved to Montana about four years ago and now work with a ranch to raise bison for food — their business is called Glacier Grown.

You can learn all about the health benefits of bison meat, as well as how to order from them on their website.   They currently only serve two markets:  local Montana and Southern California (via twice a year co-op delivery).  However, they are looking into shipping meat and/or possibly scheduling a delivery to Virginia in the spring.  If you would be interested in either of these options, you should contact Karen.

Since the Dunhams are in the bison business, seeing bison was on my “Montana Must” list.  So we took a trip out to the ranch to see the bison up close and personal.

The ranch is located on the other side of Glacier National Park.    On our drive over, we stopped at a really cool waterfall at the edge of the road.

It had stair-stepped rocks which were great for climbing.

We also stopped a rest area/memorial which marked the Continental Divide.

The monument, which was designed to resemble the Washington Monument, is a memorial to honor Theodore Roosevelt, for his commitment to forest conservation.   To Mike, it was an opportunity to practice his handstand.

As we drove out, I was struck by how different the terrain became.   It became more of a prairie —  I could imagine Laura Ingalls living there.

Finally, we made it to the ranch!   The ranch is located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, east of Glacier National Park.

The ranch is a beautiful property.

In addition to a cute little ranch house, they have tepees, bunkhouses and it’s just a fun place for kids to run around.

We drove out to see the bison, which were pastured several fields away.  It was a long bumpy ride in the back of the pick-up truck.

When we got to the pasture they were in, Brad, aka The Buffalo Whisperer, called to them and we put out some  “cake” for them to come near.

And come they did!

They are such massive animals, it’s incredible to see how quickly they can move.

The video clip includes interesting commentary by the kids on the issue of stampeding bison, as well as Brad’s patented “Buffalo Call”.

They came right up to the truck, which let us really see them up close.

After visiting the bison, we stopped off at the adjoining pasture, where the kids played in the trees.

It was a beautiful day on the plains!