BLACK HILLS AND BADLANDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA

We're so glad we decided to spend two weeks here in the Black Hills.  There's a heck of a lot more to these here hills than we imagined.  The towns of Rapid City, Deadwood, Sturgis, Spearfish, Keystone, Custer City and Hot Springs each have something unique to offer.

Today we finished the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park and saw herds of buffalo, pronghorn, burros, mule deer, white-tailed deer, prairie dogs and colorful birds.  We didn't see any elk, mountain goats, coyotes or bighorn sheep.  We are like two little kids when it comes to sighting animals in the wild.

After a gestation period of 270-285 days, cows give birth to a single calf, occasionally twins -  These amazing animals were on the brink of extinction with numbers as low as 540 in U.S. and 250 in Canada - We now have about 60,000 head - When Columbus discovered American, an estimated 30-60 million buffalo roamed the Great Plains

Bulls average 1,500 pounds up to a ton - Cows average 1,000 pounds  - Average life span is 25 years - Many cows live over 40 years, stay healthy and continue to bear young

Pronghorn shed their horn sheaths each year

Newborn calves show no sign of a hump until they reach about two months old

The burros are descendants from the herd that once hauled visitors to the top of Harney Peak

The black-tailed prairie dogs live in large social groups called towns - The round mound of dirt that surrounds the prairie dog hole keeps rain water from running into the burrow and serves as an observation post

Off the loop we took Rte 87 to Wind Cave National Park.  We took the ranger-guided Natural Entrance Tour which is a 1.5 hour tour with 300 stairs.   Each cave offers something different.  This one is known for its Boxwork formations - thin, honeycomb-shaped structures of calcite that protrude from the walls and ceilings.  Other formations include Popcorn, beautiful Frostwork, Flowstone and Stalactites.  In 1881, two brothers, Jesse and Tom Bingham discovered the cave and the McDonald family blasted open passages and guided tourists through for a fee.  In 1891, Alvin McDonald wrote in his diary "Have given up the idea of finding the end of Wind Cave".  It's one of the world's oldest caves, dating  back to its formation 320 million years ago.  Only 5% of the total cave has been discovered and continues to be explored today.

Cave interior

Difficult to get a good photo of Boxwork formation - but you get the idea

Original entrance - you can hear and feel the wind

Before heading home we decided to drive through the town of Hot Springs and get a bite to eat.  We found a family-owned restaurant and I tried an Elk burger (I like Buffalo better) and Denis got, what I call, a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings.

I like family restaurants and diners

No leftovers

They had buffalo everything

We saw a sign for The Mammoth Site and even though we were tired, we decided to pull in and check it out.   There is much to see there and we decided to come back to Hot Springs later in the week.  I want to see the Wild Horse Sanctuary, tour the Mammoth Site and take a plunge in the 87-degree mineral waters of Evans Plunge.

 It's really fossil bones, not plastic

That's all folks - thanks for stopping in.