National Bison Day

Happy National Bison Day everyone! The first Saturday in November is a time to celebrate my favorite large land animal and a symbol of our country’s heritage. The bison is especially important for the Native American cultures of the Great Plains. I find it inspiring that these creatures were brought back from the brink of extinction due to the efforts of many people.

I haven’t seen any bison recently so I dug up a picture of me and Dad from the summer of 2025. We were visiting the bison in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley.

Celebration

It’s been a few years but I had fun attending the Team Davis Banquet. Since I now live in Sacramento I don’t get to see my friends here very often, so it was great to catch up. There was good food, good friends, and live music with Cold Shot.

Thanks to all who helped organize this event.

Where’s The Ocean

Believe it or not, despite traveling 5,000 miles through 11 states last summer we did not see any very large bodies of water- neither the Pacific, Atlantic, nor the Gulf of Mexico as Dad still calls it.

We fixed that by heading down to Limantour Beach at Point Reyes. I think the Pacific is still my favorite ocean.

Sunny Afternoon

October is a great time of year. It’s not too hot and the winter rains haven’t started yet. (I’ve heard we have an El Niño year coming up.) Dad is back in town, so we headed over to Point Reyes National Seashore for the day. It sure was nice.

I went to see the doctor a few days ago with Dad and two of my caregivers. It always makes me nervous, but the people there were really nice and patient with their patient (yours truly). I even got a shot in my arm. It was over quick.

Eat, Pizza, Love

It sounds like the name of a movie, but I might be getting the name slightly wrong…

Dad and I met up with my brother Jackson and sister-in-law Wendy for a great reunion over pizza. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, so every time is special. Thanks for hanging out with us you guys!

This summer’s adventures have been fantastic. Here’s the stats for 2026:

Days: 28

Miles: 5,042

States: 11

Ice Cream Goddess Visitations: 2

Campfires: 1 (lots of burn bans this year)

Until next time…

Hood Ornament

Having six state high points to my name, I have started thinking about the other 44. When I took a look at Oregon’s high point, Mount Hood (11,249 ft.), it made me take a step back. The steep terrain, glaciers and big piles of rocks make the idea of climbing the thing rather intimidating. Plus, it’s an active volcano.

For now, I’ll be content with admiring the mountain from a distance.

Heart Of The Monster

Believe it or not, Heart Of The Monster is the name of an actual place. It’s in the valley of the Clearwater River near Kamiah, Idaho. It’s part of the Nez Perce National Historic Park and an important part of the creation story of the Nez Perce people, something about Coyote defeating a Monster and eating its heart. Sounds a bit gruesome. If I look apprehensive in the photo, it’s because I’m concerned about running into the Monster.

Later, we stopped by the visitor center which was not as scary. We learned a lot about the history and culture of the tribe.