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     SPLOOSH!   The pot of tomato sauce boiled 

over, splattering hot red liquid everywhere. 

Buddy Bison watched wide-eyed through the 

kitchen window as Rancher Roy hurried to turn 

down the stove.

     “Looks just like a volcano!” Rancher Roy 

shouted.   “And it so happens, Buddy Bison, 

that is where our next trip will take us.   In 

search of volcanoes.”

     I've heard about volcanoes! Buddy Bison 

thought and laughed as he imagined a 

mountain top exploding with smoke and 

tomato sauce.   Awesome!

     “We’ll leave tomorrow,” Roy said.   “Our trip 

will take us through national parks in Arizona, 

California, Oregon and Washington.”   Roy 

unfolded a large map, showing Buddy Bison 

the route.  

     The next day, Rancher Roy drove Buddy 

Bison in his special trailer to Arizona.   Buddy 

Bison looked through his binoculars at the 

mountainous landscape for any signs of a 

volcano.

     “Here we are at Sunset Crater National 

Monument,” Roy announced.   “Let’s go for a 

walk.”

     Buddy Bison stepped off the trailer and 

quickly opened his big umbrella to protect him 

from the volcano.

    “You won’t need that, Buddy Bison,” Roy 

chuckled. “This volcano hasn’t erupted in over 

900 years.”

     Buddy Bison gazed at the distant cone 

shaped, treeless mountain.

     Roy continued, “That is called a cinder cone 

volcano. This black, rocky ground in front of 

you is actually lava from the last eruption.”

     Buddy Bison jumped back.

     “Not to worry,” Roy said.   “The lava cooled 

off shortly after the eruption.”

     Roy and Buddy Bison left Arizona for 

California.   Maybe I’ll find an erupting volcano 

there, Buddy Bison hoped.

     The next day, they arrived at Lassen 

Volcanic National Park.   Buddy Bison searched 

for fire in the sky, but what he saw was a tall, 

snow-capped mountain rising above the rocky 

ground.

     “That’s Lassen Peak,” Roy said. “It last 

erupted in 1917, but it’s due for another 

eruption soon.” 

Buddy Bison stepped out of the trailer and 

placed a large frying pan over his head.

     “Not today, Buddy Bison,”   Roy said. 

“You’re perfectly safe.”

     They hiked to an area that had steam rising 

from the ground and boiling mud puddles.  

“Those are all thermal features that are often 

a sign of volcanic activity.   Just like 

Yellowstone Park, where we live.”

     Buddy Bison’s eyes nearly popped out of 

his head.   I live in a volcano?

     “Yellowstone was formed by a huge volcano 

that last erupted over 600,000 years ago.” 

Rancher Roy explained. “It will erupt again.”  

Buddy Bison looked at his watch.   “But don’t 

worry.   There will be plenty of warning signs.”

     Their next stop was in Oregon, at Crater Lake 

National Park. Roy drove up and up the mountain 

until they came to a beautiful, deep blue lake 

surrounded by rocky peaks.   At one end of the 

lake, Buddy Bison saw a smaller mountain 

surrounded by the water.

     “This is Crater Lake.   And you’re looking at 

Wizard Island.   That’s all that is left of what was 

Mount Mazama after the volcano erupted. Rainfall 

and snowmelt flooded the entire crater to create 

this lake.”

     Buddy Bison put on his snorkeling mask and 

flippers. “The lake won’t be rising any time soon,” 

Roy said. “The last eruption was 7,700 years ago!”

     “Do you know that Crater Lake gets about 

550 inches of snow every year? Roy asked. 

“That’s enough snow to almost bury a five-

story building!” 

     Buddy Bison tried to picture a village where 

only a few rooftops and steeples would stick 

out above the snow.

     The next morning, they arrived at Mount 

Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument, in 

the state of Washington.   Buddy Bison saw a 

barren mountain in the distance.   It looked like 

part of the top and side of the mountain had 

been cut off.

     “Mount Saint Helens is one of the country’s 

most recently active volcanoes.” Roy 

explained.   “It’s last major eruption was in 

1980, but there have been small bursts of 

steam as recently as 2008.”

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