Badlands National Park

Canyons, spires, and flat-topped tables the serrated badlands terrain started eroding about 500,000 years ago. Given another 500,000 years and there will be nothing but mixed grass prairie.

We did not pick the best day for our visit to the park. The sun did brake through the clouds from time to time giving us some great contrast.

Since we were coming from Hot Springs we came in a back way across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The road across the north part of the park is not paved making for a messy trip, but our friend Bill McNew would be proud of the van even if it is not 4 wheel drive.

Looking across the badlands you see some formations reminiscent of Bryce canyon. Different geology but erosion and disposition is the same.

From sea bottom to yellow soil, later a river flood plain then sandstone deposits. Finally 28 to 30 million years ago a thick layer of volcanic ash was deposited. Volcanic eruptions to the west continued to supply ash by wind and water.

So 75 million years of layers and 1 million years of erosion and its strung out from here to the gulf of Mexico.

Since we entered via Sage Creek Road we came across Roberts Prairie Dog Town. We also saw a Bison, but only one at quite a distance.

These guys on the other hand were all over the place. Bighorn Sheep, all have horns but the females do not have the larger horns the the males have.

These may also have been younger Bighorn Sheep.

Wind, rain, and freeze/thaw action have gradually worn down the land, leaving the Badlands Wall behind.

While colorful, all of the layers till a story about climate, vegetation, and animal life.

Wall, South Dakota takes its name from the Badlands Wall.

With upheavals in the land the black ocean mud is exposed to the air. Upper layers were weathered into a yellow soil.

We found the answer to the question, Where in the hell is Wall Drug.

The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary

The Sanctuary is located 14 miles south of Hot Springs, SD.










Dayton O. Hyde, founder and president Institute of Range and the American Mustang. Dayton is a rancher, photographer and author of 17 books.










For nearly 20 years the Sanctuary has been a private setting for western movie making. Shot on-location here include Hidalgo and Crazy Horse. Seen here is the 1870s Fort Robinson set.










11,000 acres of pristine prairie with wild horses everywhere.










A small part of the more than 500 wild mustangs here at the Sanctuary.










To see more horses at the Sanctuary check out this link. http://www.wildmustangs.com/slideshow.html












Bird nests on an outcropping of some sandstone cliffs.











People have been writing on sandstone since the beginning of time.










1897 might not seem that long ago.












Native American petrogylphs.












Not just for wild horses, how about some wild turkeys. The Toms are showing there stuff.














For more about the Sanctuary its founder and the horses try this website. http://www.wildmustangs.com/

Harney Peak, Rankin Ridge, Were We Worked

Starting at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park the hike to the top of Harney Peak is about 6 miles round trip.





View from the trail, granite formations in the Black Hills.











In the distance is Harney Peak. It looks like a rugged hike but the trail is at the worst moderate.





This is however the highest point in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains at 7242 feet.











Eileen and Bella poss to catch there breath and enjoy the view.


















Through out the hike the scenery is beautiful.

This chunk of granite is called Little Devils Tower. At 6926 feet above sea level it is a pillar of its community, located in Custer State Park.








At the top of Harney Peak is an abandoned fire lookout tower. The rock structure pictured here is a the newest tower, replacing a number of wooden structures that burned during forest fires.



















Eileen and Bella at the bottom of a series of stairs that lead to the tower.


















Bear and I are almost there.














Bear is conversing with one of the locals.











He nervously chattered a lot, might of had something to do with Bears size.
















Cathedral Spires in the distance














Little Devils Tower from Harney Peak.













Just south of Custer State Park is Wind Cave National Park, this is the Rankin Ridge Fire Tower. The tower is no longer in operation or accessible by the public. The trail is a one mile loop, but would you know it, they always but a fire look out at the top of a hill.













Once at the top of the hill it's on of those, "you can see forever kind places."











This is Desperado's were I worked as a lunch cook.













This is Mountain Treats were Eileen worked selling Ice Cream and Fudge. That is when she was not across the street selling Hot Dogs.

Animals of the Black Hills

Prairie Dogs, actually a type of ground squirrel.

Chipmunk.

Bighorn Sheep, a couple of males relaxing in the shade.

American Bison sometimes called buffalo is the largest land animal in North America. Here you see a small portion of the herd in Custer State Park.

Bison, a Greek word meaning Ox-like animal.

Young Bison calf. Do not approach, Mom is watching and out weighs you.

Bison typically weigh about one ton.

Not to mention the short curved horn that can grow up to two feet long.

Custer State Park is home to some 1500 head, one of the largest publicly owned herds in the world.

To maintain a balance of available grass and bison the park auctions between 200 and 500 head every November to private buyers.

So were do all the auctioned bison go. To supplement existing herds, start a new herd, or to eat.

There are about 4000 privately held herds with about 500,000 head of bison.

Pronghorn, not antelope, seems our early pioneers and fur trappers were not very good scientists.

Exclusive to North America pronghorns range from Canada to Mexico.





The wild Burros of Custer State Park, or more correctly feral burros. Burros are not native to North America.

Burros do not always get alone with one another?

Other than that guess I have no idea what happened to the ear.

White-tail deer are very common in the area.

Around Hill City we would see as many as 30 of them in town when we walked the dogs at night.