The Bison Brief

[Bites] According to the National Bison Association, production and sales of bison have been increasing at an average rate of nearly 20 percent for the past two years. There must be something to this bison business, maybe because it's relatively low in fat, high in protein and has a beneficial cholesterol profile. If you’re interested in trying natural, sustainable bison, a number of downtown restaurants are featuring bison dishes during the Downtown Dine O' Round: Acme Burger (bison burgers), Metropolitan (bison short ribs osso buco), Faustina's (bison sliders), The New Yorker (braised buffalo short ribs) and Squatters (BBQ buffalo burgers). In addition, this weekend Whole Foods in conducting a “Buffalo Bonanza.” Mmmmm ... bison! (Ted Scheffler)

Buffalo Girls

[Uh, Journalism] As part of their periodic first-person series on how two newbies in Utah tackle the great outdoors, doggone cute Salt Lake Tribune reporters Maggie Thach and Roxana Orellana describe their camping adventure at Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake.

It's kind of a print version of I Love Lucy--pick your favorite scene with Lucy and Ethel. It's crazy-slapstick! Their tent flaps in the wind. The camp chairs fly away. The mosquitoes. The brine flies. And only a half-can of bug repellent.

And then there are the bison. The outdoorsy grrrls write:

While on the island, we did more than camp. We drove almost the length of the island and found herds of bison. We were about seven feet away from one of them on our drive. Maggie was fascinated and wanted to get closer. Roxana was terrified and drove by at about 2 m.p.h.

Note to Maggie, for next time you visit the island (and if you go to Yellowstone National Park, too): More people die or are injured by getting too close to bison than are injured by bears in the outdoors. Bison are big. They are fast. They are seriously unpredictable. They are a cut above your average dumb cow. I'd advise against trying to pet one.

*Above: Husband and I, on bicycles in Yellowstone on April 20, 2008. Like Maggie and Roxana, we, too, were about seven feet from the herd. Except we knew what we were dealing with. The following scene was of us, picking up our bikes and carrying them s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y through hip-deep snow off the road and around the herd to avoid riling the beasts. (Holly Mullen)