Beautiful Badlands

Selfie View

This is a rarity, so we better share it!

Day 14: October 15

Okay, time to leave the wildlife splendour of the Custer area, but not before a final wildlife tour and Farewell Committee of Mountain Goats (licking salt on the road):

Outside the park is plenty of ranch land and an unusual collection of Kennedy, Reagan and Bush II heads:

Oh, and “The Madonna of the Prairies” statue (though I missed a pic, I am pretty sure it wasn’t of the singer)!

On State Road 44, we started to see the Badlands emerge:

We got to the park, and chose to stay at the Cedar Pass (contracted to a private company) Campground (Site #26, $23.32, No Services). Once booked, we toured the park.

Oh, the colours:

and shapes:

of the Badlands. We remembered them well.

We had three cool wildlife encounters. First was a hawk perched high atop that formation above:

Then, we watched a Badger chase a Coyote through a Prairie Dog Town:

Finally, we saw a herd of Bighorn Sheep below, in the valley:

On our return, they’d moved to the road:

A gorgeous, eye-filling day. The next morning was this sunrise view from my chair:

Day 15: October 16

As you saw, we were up with the sun, so we decided to do some tourist touring and headed to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (with a Prairie Dog Statue on the way):

which was merely two trailers when we were here seven years ago. Now, it’s a full-blown tribute (for the last three years) to nuclear war, made all the more poignant by the machinations between the US and North Korea today.

We looked for and missed the Delta 01 site, but saw the buried missiles at the Delta 09 site:

Oh yes, we could have travelled very quickly if it hadn’t been so windy!

A quick stop at Wall:

and we decided to try for the free Sage Creek Campground in the park. It’s a site with its own Prairie Dog Town, Magpies and Buffalo, and I think we’ll be here for awhile. We took a 2.1 km hike:

Here’s the “free” view from my chair:

Day 16: October 17

The Coyotes howled all night and we woke to more Prairie Dogs, Magpies and Buffalo!

After sleeping in, we waited for the sun to warm for our first hike (2.2 km). The hills around the park are filled with Buffalo trails:

Then, we had lunch, and headed out for Hike #2, 3.4 km:

Two stories were revealed today. The story of Pete (yes, we named him). He came through the campground in the morning:

… we saw him on the morning hike, again on the afternoon hike, then he came through the campground late afternoon, and headed somewhere for the night:

Okay, this could have been many old male Buffaloes, but they’re all “Pete” to us!

Also, on our second hike, we found evidence of some kind of habitation. A foundation:

…a cistern:

…a fence, some barbed wire and then the remnants of a Model T (A?) vehicle, complete with what might have been a bullet hole:

I am saying this was the hideout for some Bonny and Clyde types. You never know!

We love this place and, on the way home from Hike #2, said we should stay here another day.

Here’s the view from my chair, the perfect trifecta of Buffalo (Pete), Prairie Dogs and Magpies. Life is good:

Day 17: October 18

Yes, we stayed another day. everyone leaves here by 10:00 except for us and a Scamp trailer. He left today, too, so we were alone from 10:00 until 4:00 when, so far, two sets of campers have arrived. There have been Fifth Wheels, Van Campers, tents (mostly small), car sleepers, and, this morning, someone sleeping outside beside a picnic table featuring a bottle of Jack Daniels or something.

We took another hike. we call this the “climb every mountain, ford every stream” hike. This is our destination:

And this is our journey, including that “fording”.

Pete was waiting for us when we returned, along with the whole herd a few miles away (probably close to 100 of them).

After lunch, I decided on a personal challenge. Up to the top:

And I made it:

Back at home (feels like it now), we enjoyed more sunshine, our Buffalo, Prairie Dogs, Magpies, and our Wily Coyote (all viewed from my chair). A great stay: