Ride to Redemption (13 page)

Chapter
19

J
oining
the Italians for breakfast after our walk, Gio and Mile had many questions for
me about Yellowstone.

“We
see bears?” asked Mile.

“Elk?”
asked Gio. “Buffalo? I read they chase you. Can we go O’ Faithful? We stop
Mammoth Springs?”

“Come
on Candi, you have anything you want to see or do? Gio and Mile have two days
worth of stuff so far.”

“I’m
okay with whatever we do today, D, as long as I’m doing it with you.”

“That’s
just downright humbling,” I confessed. “Thank you.” I racked my brain for a
plan. “Ok, I’ve got it. We can visit all of these places if ya’ll don’t mind
riding all day and maybe half the night. Gonna be lots of traffic to put up
with. Buffalo we will see for sure. Elk, we will see more than likely around
Mammoth Hot Springs. Bear sightings, if at all, are usually early mornings or
late evenings in the summer. It’s possible we might even see a mountain goat or
two coming into the park from this side.”

Packed,
loaded and on the road by 8 a.m., I was hopeful we might see a bear or two in
the distance this early in the morning. After buying two National Park Passes
at the gate, compliments of Gio, we headed into the park with his video camera
rolling. Not even five miles under our belts when we came upon two buffalo
standing in the middle of the road. With traffic at a standstill, a ranger
finally showed up with cattle guards and began to nudge the behemoths off the
asphalt. This one particular boy didn’t appreciate the ranger’s efforts and
rammed his truck a couple of times before the hardened steel cattle guard made
an indelible impression.

“Impressive,”
pined Candi. “Their bodies are twice the size of your bike. And look at those
grapefruits, hanging down from that big boy; they are 10 times the size of
yours!”

“Thanks,
baby, thanks. Maybe you can seduce him with your wily, wicked ways and see if
he wants to trade what he knows for sex.” Candi's pull on my hair spoke
volumes.

With
the road cleared of the bison, compliments of the park service, I chose to
continue along the northern route through Yellowstone with hopes of finding
“BIG” Game for Gio to film, and Mile to see. Twenty minutes into our ride, they
would not be disappointed. I noticed movement about 300 yards off the road,
along the far edge of the tree line abutting the meadow.

Pulling
over, I directed the Italians to turn off their bikes and just watch. “Gio zoom
in with your camera on that tall aspen, I’m sorry, the gold looking tree. I
keep forgetting your English is broken. Look right below it, there is a sow and
cub. Oh, excuse me again, a bear and its baby. See it?”

“
Sì,
now I do,” replied an excited Gio.

“Good
give the camera to Mile, and let her have a look please.”

“How
did you see them so far away?” asked Candi.

“Remember,
baby, I’ve hunted every big game animal across North America. You learn to pay
attention to the fringes. Rarely, would we ever see bears up close, unless they
are hungry or horny. Then all bets are off. Better we watch them from here.
Under no circumstances, would you ever approach a sow and her cubs, or a cow
moose with calves. Their maternal instinct says protect at all costs and they
do.”

Ten
minutes passed ever so slowly. “All right, if ya’ll have seen enough, let’s
ride. Next stop is Steamboat Geyser, and then Mammoth Hot Springs.”

“Mile,”
I was trying to explain, “Visiting Old Faithful will add another 3 hours to our
day. Candi, you tell her, and then explain we are going to one like Old
Faithful and let me know if that’s okay,” while looking at Gio for some type of
response. I got none.

Thankfully,
on our arrival, the Steamboat Geyser was spewing steam upwards of 300’ in the
air, satisfying Mile’s desire to experience a geyser up close. The geyser,
which I discovered had been relatively quiet for the last seven years, was in
rare form today, providing us with enough memories and pictures to last a
lifetime.

Traveling
fast, we managed to make it to the next stop with ease. I parked on the outside
of the Hot Springs Terraces area, suggesting we needed the exercise after
riding much of the day. With no one objecting, we negotiated hundreds of stairs
and multiple landings to reach the top, where we were surprised to see a
geography similar to one on Mars. Waifs of sulfur filled the air, as the hot
springs spewed gasses from deep within the Earth’s core.

“Surreal,”
exclaimed Candi, “just look how the water keeps changing colors, as it cascades
across different sections of the rock.”

“Are
we good? Have ya’ll seen and smelled enough?” I asked the Italian’s, while
pinching my nostrils closed, in jest.

With
twenty more minutes of film under Gio’s belt, we were off to the park
headquarters inside the North entrance, where I could almost guarantee the
resident Elk would be grazing and or lounging under the shade trees for Gio to
snap some outstanding pics.

Gio
was not to be disappointed. Cow elk were abundant on the grounds, while one
prominent 6x6 bull, stood almost statuesque, posing for pictures. I’ve learned
if you drive the entire park and not see one elk, you can go to park
headquarters and they, more times than not will be there. I believe these
magnificent elk are on the Park payroll, where they are given food, protection,
shelter and lots of choices for sex. Not a bad life, I thought. Not a bad life
at all.

“Enough
pics?” I asked Gio and Candi, while Mile, mesmerized by the bull, could not
take her eyes off it. Grabbing her arm, I met up with determined resistance.
She totally did not want to leave.

“Deer,
let’s go find mule deer,” I offered, puzzling her all the more. “Tell her
Candi, we’re going to find more big deer for her to see.”

“By
the way, did I tell you, we’re going to Chico Hot Springs for dinner? We can
even stay there tonight if they have rooms. And if you’re real lucky, I might
be able to snag us up a horseback ride in the morning.”

Realizing
much of what I’d said went right over our Italian friend’s heads, I asked Candi
to translate. I could sense the excitement in her voice, as she sold them on
the horseback ride immediately, without telling them it was conditional if we
couldn’t get a room.

“Why
did you tell them it was a sure thing Candi?”

“Because
I have you, 'good guide,' as Gio says, and you will make it happen. Won't you?”

That
being said, I called Chico and found they had one, two bedroom log cabin left.
“Candi, it’s your call.”

“That’s
fine, it might be fun.”

It’s
the might part, that I’m not sure about; I thought while I confirmed the cabin
and made our dinner reservations.

We
rode north, up through Paradise Valley, where multitudes of mule deer were
grazing in many of the irrigated fields along the Yellowstone River. Gio was in
his element, filming the mulies, then us, then the deer again. I’m thinking he
could make a feature movie by the time he gets home with all the video he has
captured on this trip.

Our
entourage made it to Chico by 6 p.m., and as we checked in, Mile was overjoyed
when she realized we would be sharing a cabin.

“We
sleep together?” Mile asked Candi excitedly.

“Don’t
break her heart, baby. Just tell her yes. Two more things,” I continued,
“dinner is at eight tonight and we can have a cowboy breakfast at nine in the
morning after a one-hour horseback ride. Is that good with everyone?” I asked, before
confirming with the front desk. Nods from all around confirmed we were good.

The
cabin featured two bedrooms and a great room. “Is this okay with you and Mile?”
I asked Gio.

“Yes
D, good for us.”

“Candi,
how about you, will this suffice?”

“It’s
great, baby. Look at the mountain views out the back. They’re spectacular.”

Unpacked,
I walked out the front door to find a doe, lounging on the porch. “Mile,” I
motioned, “come here quietly,” putting my finger to my lips. She eased out the
door to discover a mule deer doe, up close and personal.

I
think it made her day, because she proceeded to give me a hug and a long
lingering kiss on the lips, while our companions, staring out the window,
surprisingly, looked on.

“If
Mile will do that for a deer, I wonder what she will do for a moose? Woo-hoo,”
I whispered to Candi.

“She
didn’t do it for the deer, baby. She did it because she has the ‘hots’ for
you,” Candi interjected adamantly.

“I’ve
haven’t done anything to encourage it, I promise.”

“Yes
you have, it began when you loaned Gio ‘my toy’ and you encouraged him to use
it.”

“Are
you jealous of Mile, Candice? You are. Aren’t you?” I chuckled, while watching
her cheeks flush red.

Meanwhile
Gio was busy trying to get the TV on CNN, while Mile, to my pleasant surprise,
disrobed right before our eyes.

“Bath,”
she announced, as she paraded, la natural, through the den and into the
bathroom.

“Are
you sure you’re not related to her, too?” I gleefully asked Candi, as steam
erupted from her ears. “You said this might be fun. At this moment, I’m oh so
inclined to agree.”

“Stop
looking at her that way, D. You can roll your tongue back in, while you’re at
it. Can’t you see that’s what she wants you to do, lust?”

“She’s
succeeding! Tie me up and blindfold me, and I won’t look at her again like
that, I promise. By the way, Gio doesn’t seem to mind.”

“Of
course he doesn’t, he sees her naked all the time.”

“Why
are you arguing with me?”

“I’m
not, no I am. I really just wanted to see how much I mean to you right now.”

“Are
you satisfied?” Candi asked sternly.

“I
am, thank you very much. Oh, by the way, Candice, are we having fun yet?”

Dinner
was excellent. We talked about Bozeman and whether Gio and Mile were going
south to Jackson Hole or riding on to Glacier. I have yet to tell Gio we’re going
through Glacier also, waiting for the right time to discuss it with Candi. We
walked along the landscaped paths and ventured into the hot springs pools area
where indoor and outdoor springs are readily available to relax in.

“Would
you ladies like to bath in the hot springs?” I asked, with both nodding an
affirmative yes. “We’ll leave you to it. Gio, if you please … to the bar.”

Ordering
two local craft brews, Gio made a statement that caught me off guard. Mile, he
began, “she want you. I mean you sleep with her, okay? I not tell Candi, you
not tell Candi. I say okay, what you say?”

“I
say thank you, but how you say in Italian, no way, nada.”

“I
share with you, you not like her?”

“I
do like her, Gio, but not enough to share her with Candi.”

“I
not ask you to share Candi.”

Where
is my interpreter when I need her? I’m thinking, trying to figure out where
this is leading and why. “Gio, Stop! Enough! Thank you, but no thank you.”

“Let’s
join the girls,” I paused, before getting up, grabbing my beer and walking out
mid sentence, before he could continue the argument. What is it with these
Italians and their unbridled sex drive? I thought I was adventurous, but I
can’t hold a candle to them. Making my way to the outdoor pool, I found Candi
and Mile in total relaxation mode on opposite ends of the pool.

“Where
is Gio?” Asked Candi.

“I
left him in the bar, finishing a beer, totally frustrated, because I wouldn’t
consider a romantic interlude with Mile.”

“My
cousin just asked you to bang his girlfriend? Just wait till I get hold of him?
I might just rip off his balls!”

“I’d
rather you not … at least for the moment. I’m thinking he has an ulterior
motive and I’d like to find out what it is before you make a bloody scene. Rip
off his balls, you are a cold one, what would he use to play with then?”

“She
is pretty,” Candi continued, while dangling the carrot before my eyes, “I
wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to.”

“Mile
has been the farthest thing from my mind. She doesn’t hold a candle to you.
Besides I’m kind of fond of you, especially your woo-hoo. No worries, baby.”

“Let’s
go back to the room,” I sported, reaching for Candi’s hand, as I lifted her
from the pool. “We have yet to have dessert tonight.”

Satisfying
our mutual sweet tooth over the next hour or so, we fell asleep wrapped in each
other’s arms, completely oblivious to the fact that we were now sharing a cabin
with two very frustrated Italians; albeit for totally different reasons.

My
early ritual of walking took on new meaning this particular morning as I exited
our bedroom to find Mile dressed in a very small tube top and the shortest
spandex shorts I had ever had the pleasure of observing on a woman.

“We
walk,” announced Mile.

“We
walk,” I replied. Few words were exchanged between us as we walked to the main
entrance and up the gravel road into the canyon, east of Chico. Only when we
stopped to rest, did I visualize her pronounced camel toe, defined in the
crevasse of her shorts.