Given that we
have constantly been on the lookout for more critters than just the wild but
shameless beggin' burros, mule deer, white-tail deer, antelope and bison (buffalo)
that seem to predominate openly in Custer State Park, to satisfy tourists, we
have been unable to find any others like the elusive Elk, we decided to go
visit BEAR COUNTRY USA, which is sort of like a zoo, except that (for the most
part) the animals are roaming free in their cattle-guard and fence segregated
habitats, and we (the paying public… for $15 each with ‘senior’ or ‘military’
discount) get to drive through the roadway through it, able to observe them
from inside a safe and secure, locked car. It is strictly enforced that people
should not get out of their cars or even open a window to take photos, as it
happened once that someone did and a mountain lion jumped into the car... (NOT
a pleasant outcome.) Enough said, and
except for the elk habitat, we kept our windows closed (because the elk’s
antlers are too big to get into the car. That said, some photos are not too
clear as they show our reflection on the windshield or window, for that reason.
"Shh... Be quiet and nobody will see us in the tall grass."
Reindeer... Dasher, Prancer and Blixen in foreground.
Donder just joined them.
Big Horn Sheep (females have the little horns)
Arctic Sheep
Mountain Lion (Puma)
Control Tower
Arctic Wolf (asleep on the job)
Big Horn Sheep (females have the little horns)
This is what Mary would look like to a Grizzly(and vice versa).
At the end of the road through the park (which houses the larger animals) one can walk through the habitats for smaller animals, like foxes, badgers, beavers, skunk etc., and for some unknown reason the Grizzly Bear’s enclosure is here as well. Of course, these are all separated by separate enclosures with walls or electric fences. However, by far, the main attraction seems to be the bear cubs, which drew the largest fan club… for good reason. Hence, forgive us our putting in so many photos of them, but they are just so darn cute (especially at feeding time).
Racoons
A Skunk (the little stinker) can spray his scent up to 15 feet so stay away.
A Beaver (with 2 babies)
The antler differences between Mule Deer, Elk and Reindeer.
The Timber Wolf was in his den (out of sight).
The American Porcupine (Ouch).
Coyote
Mr. Red Fox (not Redd Foxx, RIP)
Arctic Fox pups
The Groundhog
The Lynx (above) and the Bobcat (below)... pretty kitties.
And finally, la 'piece de la resistance', those adorable bear cubs...
Rough-housing with a playmate.
Would you look at this guy (or girl)...
It was after a butterfly.
"OMG! I can't believe I ate ALL of it. Now I'm stuffed."
"Yeah!! I did it."
"Oh boy... oh boy.... it's time to eat."
Put the food down, already!!
Gee, I ate too much and now I can't even climb the tree trunks.
One evening
while driving through the Wildlife Loop Road at Custer State Park, at about 8:40pm (just getting dark here) we happened to hear Elk bugling in the distance and
just managed to see their figures through the trees about 1000 yards away. Yep! It was too far to get a good look at
them in the wild and too dark for the cameras to get a good picture, even with
the zoom lens. So, perhaps we’ll see some in Yellowstone as we drive through
parts of it in the next few weeks. I'll be sure to go to Cabela's and get an elk bugler and antlers to knock together, then maybe they'll come by looking for another male and we can get some photos of these majestic animals in the wild.
After Bear Country USA we went
for a drive to Mt. Rushmore (again), but Bill is not a fan of large crowds (i.e.
lots of tourists with screaming children) so it was just a drive through the
park and some more photos of Mt. Rushmore; however, today we also drove by the Crazy Horse
Memorial (which is still under construction).
The road through the Black Hills see all around.
An interesting wooden bridge. Yes, that's treated wood planks.
Driving through Keystone SD
An interesting décor (like the Wells Fargo Stage) in Keystone.
First view of Mount Rushmore.
Getting closer.
At the entrance to the parking garage, RVs park outside in an area for them.
And here's Crazy Horse...
Though it is still under construction...
On the way back through the Wildlife Loop Road we encountered a big traffic jam in front of what from the distance could be seen to be a large herd of bison. Around here that means one of two things... EITHER someone got out of the car to go pose for a photo next t o a bison and was attacked... OR the bison are on the roadway and cars can't get past them, because like trucks they are much bigger, heavier perhaps and certainly meaner, so they ALWAYS have the right of way.
This was the first sighting of trouble....(in the distance)
And as we approached the problem was obvious...
With this many bison there just had to be some blocking the road.
And given their size and potential for getting hurt or one's car damaged
It's just best not to confront them, especially when they are with a female. Eventually, when they are ready they will move, on their own accord, at least enough to drive past them... S-L-O-W-L-Y.
Bison males don't mate until they are about 6 yrs old, so the ones mating are the big boys. Mating season starts in July and can run through September. During mating season the bulls which usually go off by themselves, move into the female groups and select a mate. They then "tend" the female. During mating season they can be very aggressive, therefore since it is JULY, it is not wise to provoke them.
A happy couple...
The Bison Safari tour jeep trying to get past the bison.
A cow and her calf. By late fall the cows will start to wean the calves but the calves will stay with their mother until the coming spring and by two at latest is considered an adult. A cow can live 20-25 years and will generally have a calf each year under the right conditions.
Then we took an alternate scenic
drive back to the campground, stopping at a scenic part of Stockade Lake (at
the Gordon Stockade Historic Site), located between the City of Custer
and Custer State Park. Right next to what was the “Permanent Camp” of General
Custer and the 1874 Black Hills Expedition, is a wooden post enclosure known as
The Gordon Stockade. Originally
built in December 1874, the same year of the Black Hills Expedition, the
Stockade kept the first “gold seekers” relatively safe from attack from Indians
who frequently came into this area. History records that the builders of the fort consisted of
26 men, one woman and one boy. They
drove six wagons and 15 yoke of oxen from Sioux City, Iowa. They left the Iowa town on October 6th, arriving
at the location of the Permanent Camp on December 21st, 1874 in spite of the
order by Army General Sheridan forbidding any white gold seekers from entering
the Black Hills. The builders of the fort consisted of 26 men, one woman
and one boy. They drove six wagons and
15 yoke of oxen from Sioux City, Iowa, leaving on October 6th, and arriving at
the location of the Permanent Camp on December 21st, 1874 in spite of the order
by Army General Sheridan forbidding any white gold seekers from entering the
Black Hills. That’s a travel time of 5.5 miles per day. Soldiers later utilized
the “old fort” using it as a headquarters, first to keep miners from coming to
the Black Hills, and later to protect the new town of Custer which grew up just
west of the stockade.(The below B/W photos are courtesy of the 1881 Courthouse Museum)
We drove
around Stockade Lake and found a lovely area deep into the forest and just
about 50 in from, and about 30 feet above, the lake shore, where we set up our folding
camp chairs and cooler and had a lovely picnic, which we shared with a
delightful squirrel, who liked bread with mayonnaise and a little chocolate
chip cookie. The scenery was a sight to
behold. 
All in all it was a wonderful day of exploration
and critter enjoyment.
All in all it was a wonderful day of exploration
and critter enjoyment.
Stockade Lake....
At the rear end of the lake is a picnic area (for day use only) with a covered building and even a fireplace, with this view of the lake.
Mary enjoying the view and weather, and taking some photos.
Closer....
Closer....
And voila!
This is the view of the opposite shore in the photo below...
Wish we had brought our fishing poles.
Bill feeding this squirrel
It's amazing how a few hours changes the light which
changes the views and the landscapes in South Dakota.
Mary's impression of Donald Trump's expressions (and she's a Republican) Actually, she is just grimacing at Bill for taking so many photos of her (but Bill thinks she is something Special so he loves to photograph her.)
Mary's impression of Carol Burnett... ;-) Actually just scratching her ear.
At the campground (from our coach) after a rainstorm with sunshine... a rainbow.
And another one. It rains a lot around here which is why everything is so green.
The cloud formations in the late evening are AWESOME to watch... during Happy Hour
This campground's version of Mt. Southern Hills... at the entrance.
Kennedy, Reagan and 'W' Bush. What a combination.
Views of the campground, which is usually FULL.
And a few videos...
- - - - - - -
The rest of
this time period we have been planning our next few weeks of travel, Sundance, Buffalo
and Ranchester, in Wyoming, and then Garryowen in Montana, which is where
Little Big Horn is. There we will be meeting up with our RV friends from
Oklahoma (and retired Coast Guard Master Chief) Brett and Susan Wickett, which
we met in Lake Conroe TX and then again at the REV Group (Fleetwood factory service
facility in Decatur IN) last year.
We shall be
leaving Southern Hills RV Park & Campground on July 27th with the fondest of memories (recorded in our blog) as to the new friendships we have made and all the wonderful places we have visited. Until the next
post...
Happy trails!
Bill 💗 Mary
Bill 💗 Mary
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