Day 8. June 14

It was a full and rewarding day in Custer State Park. We woke to torrential rain and thunder rumbling through the mountains. The storm quickly passed and left us with  temps in the 60’s which were perfect for hiking and sight seeing. After gathering some information at the interactive Visitors Center, we drove the Wildlife Loop Road and soon encountered bison with their cinnamons (babies) crossing the road. Hiked part of the French Creek Trail until we came upon the creek which the bison cross but not me. The pronghorn antelopes, which are the third fastest animal in the world, dotted the landscape. Took another more strenuous hike that overlooked the vast countryside. At the top of one hill, you could see the Badlands in the far distance. The views were magnificent; far more majestic than my pictures. In one meadow was a herd of wild donkeys. Because they are so curious and tame, they drew a big crowd of tourists including us. Next came the Prairie Dog Field with heads popping up out of holes and small furry herbivores chastising us for stopping to watch them eat clover. Finally stopped for a late tasty lunch at the Blue Bell Lodge that just reeks with atmosphere from the Teddy Roosevelt era. Made it to the Bison Corral Center just in time for the daily “Corral Tour”. That may not sound like the most interesting program but it actually WAS. Our intern/guide, Jordan Rambo, was incredibly knowledgeable about bison and the complicated system of corralling them after the September Round-Up. She walked us through the entire fenced framework like we were bison. 70 wranglers herd approximately 1500 buffalo into a huge complex arrangement of arenas, pens and shoots so they can be separated, branded, counted, vaccinated and checked for pregnancy or medical conditions. Interestingly enough, a major ailment is pink eye which is cured with medication and an eye patch (Pirate Bison). It seldom spreads to both eyes since the buffalos’ eyes are on the outside of their heads. The corrals were designed in the 1950’s by Fred Matthews and bear his name. He used his common sense and vast ranching and rodeo experience to design a system that Custer Park still uses today. As we were ending our day, we drove by hundreds of bison that had gathered on the hillside to spend the night. The park can only sustain about 1500 and it looked like they were all there ready for bed. Tomorrow we want to get an early start to explore Needles Highway, Iron Mountain and the cowboy town of Custer.