Got Buffalo?

My sister Susan and I visited the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge this past Saturday. This refuge was once a chemical weapons manufacturing center just to the east of Denver, and after being shut down and undergoing a major cleanup, was considered a prime location for the expansion of Stapleton Airport, which, I might add, was a mere 20 minutes from downtown Denver. Instead, it was decided to build an entirely new airport close to the Kansas State Line, to the joy of the city's cab drivers, and instead this area was turned into a wildlife refuge. To be honest, the few times I have driven through it I have been hard pressed to find any wildlife other than the occasional deer. However, this time we drove past an entire herd of buffalo, as seen in the photograph on the left.

This is one of two buffalo herds near Denver. The other is up in Genesee, in the mountains just west of the city, although I have only actually seen that herd once in all the time I have lived here. The herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, however, is much more outgoing, and even poses for photographs, like the buffalo and calf in the photograph on the right. I got out of the car to take this photo, and when I saw the sign on the fence warning visitors to not get out of your car under any circumstances, quickly took that pair's portrait and hurried back to the car, happily avoiding arrest. To be honest, this very large tract of land is pretty damn ugly. If you are a fan of the Great Plains, you will love it here. As for me, a drive through this wildlife refuge every couple of years, or for that matter, every couple of decades, works just fine.