After a late start, we arrived in Mitchell, SD, and drove by the Corn Palace before finding a place to stay. The palace, created in 1892, is redecorated each year with large murals and hundreds of thousands of ears of corn. Besides being a tourist destination, it serves the community as a stadium, concert hall, and other functions.
Interesting juxtaposition!
We took a trail hike and appreciated the silence and lack of people.
These bighorn sheep didn't seem at all shy. This male appeared to be looking out for his "girls".
This area was particularly colorful due to minerals in the earth.
The exit of the park led to Wall Drug, which advertises with billboards on I-80 about every mile for a hundred miles in each direction. It is supposed to be the world's largest drug store, but seems like a slick tourist trap to me. Paradoxically, it has shops with toy guns, slingshots, mounted animals and then a chapel! We drove on to Custer City where we would stay the next two nights.
In the morning, Sunday the 14th, we got up early to explore Custer State Park, known for it's wildlife.
We learned that that the trees and wildlife are highly managed as a "resource", with logging, raising of bison for meat, and hunting allowed to cull the deer, antelope, elk, and other game.
It was still a thrill, though, to be close to the bison. This bull was trying to get into this corral to be with the herd. Every fall, the herd is rounded up for vaccinations, branding, and the sale of about 500 animals to ranches or for slaughter.
Some herds were roaming much more freely.
The pronghorn antelope is not really an antelope, but the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae of which12 species once roamed North America. Five species still existed when humans first entered North America. They are the second fastest animal in the world next to the cheetah, and can run upwards of 70 m.p.h. They can sustain high speed much longer than a cheetah, and are much faster than any of their North American predators. This is thought to be due to the fact that there was a North American cheetah that is now extinct that was a very fast predator.
By this time, Blue had become a complete mess. Although we are fairly casual in our lifestyle, it was beginning to be a problem finding things.
Later in the morning, we took a several mile hike up French Creek. We saw no people except a couple who were close to the parking area. It was a glorious fall day, with turning leaves and warm breezes. We had seen a golden eagle earlier in the day, and then could hear it or another one as we hiked up the canyon.
We passed below this red cliff. A few minutes later, we saw two deer in an adjacent meadow. The larger one started coming towards us stamping the ground with it's front feet and lowering and raising it's head. It also was making a loud hissing snort. We backed away, as this deer really wanted us out. We aren't sure if it was a buck and a doe, or a doe and a fawn. We didn't see antlers on the agressor.
In California, the deer run away from you, but not here!
There were several flocks of wild turkeys in the area.
This turkey was lagging behind and became lost. He made sad and pitiful sounds calling to his lost flock that I have never heard a turkey make. After a few minutes he found his buddies, although they never answered his calls.
The remnants of an old dam made a large pool.
Passing the tall red cliff on the way back down, I spotted an area of white guano below a cave high up on the vertical wall. Gail noticed a large nest of sticks just below the entrance of the cave. It looked like an eagle nest to us.
Even though pronghorn are fast, they are poor jumpers, and have trouble getting over sheep fences. In some areas, ranchers are replacing the bottom strand of barb wire with barbless wire to make it safer for them to go under - which they can do at speed.
Bison in the distance and pronghorns up closer.
The drive out of Custer State Park towards Mount Rushmnore led us through several tunnels, barely big enough for one car.
The entrance to Mount Rushmore has become quite grand over the years, with a flag for every state and territory.
We had a great ranger guide who had us swelling with patriotism by the end of her tour. A very lovely afternoon.
The next morning, Monday the 15th, Gail had a major burst of energy and entirely organized Blue before we headed out to drive the Needles Highway and travel on to Wind Cave National Park.
The Needles Highway was built at great expense as it has numerous tunnels, pigtail curves, and huge spires and hoodoos to pass through. Many South Dakotans called it "The Needless Highway". It is a stunning 14 mile drive through the tops of the Black Hills.
Mountain goat Gail checking the stability of the tunnel before we pass through.
Close by is The Needle's Eye.
Blue going through!
Spires everywhere!
Spires or hoodoos - I'm not sure.
After a few more miles, we entered Wind Cave National Park. We stopped at a roadside kiosk and started seeing evidence of bison, as seen above. Less obvious was bison hair around the stone wall of the kiosk, which the bison must use as a scratching post. Gail happily collected hair, as she loves nest materials and hair. We took a little walk to see what was over the hill, and we saw...
bison! We enjoyed seeing them here because there were no fences and corrals, and the bison seemed to be free ranging.
We had a deal that if one of us saw a bison first, the other had to write a haiku. I wrote my haiku , but Gail wrote one anyway just for fun. They were taped to Blue's dashboard for the remainder of the trip.
After a long drive the rest of the day down into Colorado and past Denver, we found the best motel of our trip - by far!
The Sundance Mountain Lodge is in Monument, just north of Colorado Springs. This is the dining room...
... and the bar.
The swimming pool was unbelievable - bathwater warm! We swam for a good hour late in the evening.
There was a waterfall just outside our room back door, making the room very un-motel like.
The waterfall eventually ran into this little lake...
which made the ducks very happy.
Well, four more days to go as we head down into the Southwest. More to come!
1 comment:
I love those landforms in the Badlands!
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