Custer, South Dakota
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
After a horrendous night we had an outstanding day. We drove through all the sections of Badlands National Park, each turn, each vista more glorious than the one before. Hiked the Door Trail, the Window Trail, the Notches, Fossil Trail, and the steep 2 mile Saddleback Trail. Went off trail and enjoyed exploring unknown canyons and vistas. Loved the prairie dogs—so cute and funny, little families, babies and mothers, calling warnings to each other, popping into and out of their holes. Enjoyed the windiest picnic spot ever, and then saw Bighorn Sheep before we left the beauty and solitude of the park and drove to the most touristy place this side of the Corn Palace—Wall Drug. We had to get to the interstate anyway and their ads of "free ice water" sounded great compared to our lukewarm water bottles. Even Bob took a turn riding on the giant Jackalope! Drove to Custer State Park in the Black Hills and wound our way through to find Blue Bell Campground and the most beautiful cabin we have ever stayed in. Saw deer and wild turkeys right in our “backyard” while eating dinner. A horse trail goes past only a few feet from our cabin and lines of riders pass by throughout the day. Drove a portion of the Wildlife Loop and saw whitetail deer, mule deer, prairie dogs and pronghorn antelope. No bison yet. This park, the largest state park in the contiguous US, is known for its herd of 1500 buffalo which roam freely throughout the park. The ranger told us they sometimes even wander right through our campground.
