A Stop in the Black Hills

 

A Stop in the Black Hills
Todd Swank's Diary Entry for August 30, 2020

On our drive back from Colorado, we thought we'd spend the night in the Black Hills to split up our trip and see some sights.  We stopped in Wyoming to see Devil's Tower which I posted last week.  Then we drove to Keystone, South Dakota to see Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore.

We had a couple hours before it got dark when we arrived in the Black Hills so we thought it would be fun to drive the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park.  We weren't the only ones with this idea.

The traffic had backed up because a huge herd of buffalo was traveling across the road.  We were kind of bummed when we got closer because we thought they had all already passed.

Little did we know that the herd was massive and another bunch of buffalo decided to cross the road right in front of us.  As much as I was tempted to get out of the car, I've heard enough horror stories to not do that.

Although I think if I had to, I could probably take this guy.  

Eventually we were completely surrounded.  I started wondering what would we do if they started getting aggressive.  I started mentally planning my best karate moves, but turns out they weren't needed.  The buffalo peacefully walked away on their own.

Before they moved along, this baby decided to get a quick drink from his mama.  I was pretty thirsty and very tempted to get a drink of my own, but Miss Sheri told me that would be inappropriate.

Farther down the road, we saw a bunch of donkeys.  These guys didn't seem to be nearly as scary as the buffalo, so we got out expecting to get a ride.  Instead, we discovered why they are referred to as "Begging Burros".

Lucky for us, we had brought a bunch of baby carrots to munch on during the road-trip.  The hungry donkeys really seemed to like them which was a plus because then we didn't need to eat them.

I was a little nervous since I don't have many fingers to spare, but these guys were remarkably gentle while they ate from our hands.

Luke really did want to ride one, but this guy declined because he thought his t-shirt was making fun of their kind.  I think it was just an unfortunate coincidence.

This guy fell in love with Miss Sheri and wouldn't leave her side.  It was pretty sweet.

He really tried to come home with her, but she had to decline.  I was OK with it, but the boys said he wouldn't fit in the backseat with them.  I think we could have made it work.

The next morning we woke up bright and early to drive back to Minnesota, but decided to stop and see Mount Rushmore before we left.  I find it pretty amazing, but you really don't need to look at it for more than a few minutes.  It's not like it changes or anything.