The Wild World of Buck Bray: The Wolves of Slough Creek
they filmed another episode of The Wild World of Buck Bray television series Buck kept his eyes peeled looking through the window that connected the living area with the cab of the camper He hoped to see some wildlife but in the headlights that split the darkness he saw nothing but road Are we there Buck asked when Dad slowed the Green Beast down and turned right No it says here that it will be at least another forty minutes depending on traffic before we reach Old Faithful Toni answered using a flashlight to read from some information information pamphlets they had gotten at the entrance Buck yawned and rubbed his eyes trying to stay awake but it wasn’t long before his eyes shut and his head bobbed As they continued the sun started peeking over the mountains to their left turning the sky pink but Buck didn’t notice He was sound asleep his cheek resting on the back of the couch by the window Pull in there Shoop suddenly shouted Buck startled awake as Dad quickly swung the Green Beast onto a short drive leading to a parking lot 4
Look how the light is filtering through the steam coming off the Firehole Shoop continued Firehole Buck asked quickly looking out the window That’s the name of the river we’ve been driving alongside Toni said In the early morning light the river shimmered in a sparkling flow of fluid silver Plumes of steam rose from it Steam also dotted its banks looking like the smoke from dozens of campfires twisting and turning with spiraling tendrils The rising sun caught droplets of water in the steam and magically bits of moving rainbows flickered as the vapor swirled and rose That would make a great opening shot Shoop said We’ve got plenty of time Dad said glancing at his watch We’re not scheduled to meet the ranger until eight Where are we Buck asked Grand Prismatic Spring Dad answered It’s only a few more miles to Old Faithful Listen to this Toni said She started reading aloud again Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and is photographed more than 5
anything else in Yellowstone How big is it Buck asked It says it’s bigger than a football field Toni replied Dad pulled into a parking space next to a black pickup It had a shell covering the truck bed and a camping trailer hooked to the back Without hesitating Shoop grabbed the backpack that held his camera equipment He jumped out of the cab before they had even come to a complete stop Bring the shotgun mic and meet me at that footbridge footbridge Toni Shoop said and started jogging across the parking lot Toni swung her red backpack over one shoulder and picked up a black case Inside it was a microphone that attached to an extending pole and a pair of headphones Stepping from the camper she hurried after her father Buck followed her out the door The early May air was cold Buck stretched then jammed his hands into the pocket of his gray hoodie As he waited for his father to gather script notebooks and lock the camper he watched Shoop and Toni cut across the long rectangular parking 6
lot to the wooden footbridge Beyond it clouds of steam billowed from the huge expanse of Grand Prismatic Spring A car backed out of a space near the footbridge and drove around several large boulders strategically placed at the far end of the lot to direct the flow of traffic back out to the main road Beyond the boulders Buck saw nothing but a forest of tall lodgepole pine I wish they’d put the long parking spots for RVs and campers closer to the front for once Buck whined as he watched Shoop and Toni step onto a sidewalk that led to the bridge It won’t hurt you to walk a bit Dad said and it’ll give you time to rehearse the script Buck rolled his eyes He had read the scripts so many times he felt as if he could say them in his sleep As he and his father headed toward the bridge Buck heard a vehicle drive in behind them and soon some voices That’s the weirdest-looking camper I’ve ever seen a girl’s voice said Buck glanced back over his shoulder An RV that had 7
