Tatanka in Custer State Park

Custer Vacation Day 3 - September 21, 2015   Our Monday morning started off bright and early with beautiful blue skies so while the rest of our tribe got themselves going, I took a walk around the campground. It was quiet and smelled sweetly of pine and when I rounded a bend there were a flock of 17 wild turkeys pecking away at the dirt! There were also lots of bunnies and they hardly moved out of the way as I passed by. Soon it was time to leave and we piled into the HildeVan for the days adventures. Following the winding and twisty roads through Custer we spy our first buffalo! Excitement ensues as the great beast is right in front of us along the roadside placidly munching grass. We take photos and admire him for several minutes. It is odd to think that these huge animals roam free everywhere in the park doing as they please. We are the creatures that do not belong. However, they do share their space with us and seem to ignore us completely. Taking our leave, we soon enter the Black Hills National Forest. Of course, we take this opportunity to stop at a visitor's center and make a few purchases. I collect walking stick medallions from wherever I travel and added several new ones this week.

Good photography job, Li'l Pot!

First on Thunder Talker's itinerary today is the Mount Rushmore National Monument.  The sunny weather was perfect with warm, almost hot, temperatures.  I have visited here before but this time we rented the audio devices to enhance our experience and knowledge of the site. These are handheld devices you hold to your ear and listen as you would a phone - punching in the correct number on the keypad.  You trek around to various stations listening to the audio clip that corresponds. It was very informative and we all really enjoyed it. We also walked about a jillion steps – should have worn my FitBit today - up and down stairs and visited the studio and learning center at the base of the mountain. We were famished and ready for a lunch of Tatanka Stew and ice cream! We ended up spending about four hours here to our surprise!  We discussed how pleased we all were that we had taken the time to really learn about the monument and not just do a few photos and leave.

Speaking of photos - Li'l Pot is our official photographer for this trip. We all gather around a selected monument while she sets up her camera on whatever is at hand. It could be a cooler, a rock, or even a car seat with the side door hanging open. Often it is considerable distance across a ditch or over a rock pile that she must run across to take her place in line as the seconds tick away on the camera's timer. Several times it took two or three attempts but she finally always gets the photo! Good job, Li'l Pot!

Bean Gatherer - Signing Dunbar's papers

Next we visited the movie set of one of the greatest movies ever filmed, Dances With Wolves. When the movie first came out, I saw it with my sisters in Denver on the big screen. 25 years later it is just as good - a classic in my mind -  and I had purchased the DVD for us all to watch as homework before we came here. While we visited the movie set of Fort Hayes in Rapid City it was kind of fun and we took some crazy staged photos, my favorites being the ones in the office where John Dunbar received his orders from the crazy officer. We took turns playing John and the crazy guy at his desk. However, we were disappointed in how the whole area was being kept up and displayed. It was very haphazard and a little bit unorganized with random displays of old west memorabilia scattered around.  However, we managed to find and make our own fun while there! Can you imagine? LOL

Black Kettle and Thunder Talker are making a break for it!

After Fort Hayes we stopped at the Black Hills Gold Factory hoping for a tour. But we arrived  too late in the day and instead watched a movie about the jewelry production that takes place there. While in town everyone was off shopping while I stopped at a café with wifi to communicate with my family back home. I sure do miss the convenience of instant internet access!

Heading back into Custer it was coming on dusk and we actually counted 57 deer! It is pretty amazing to see them in such numbers and driving is definitely something to do very cautiously on the twisting, turning, and up and down roads. Bean Gatherer did a great job! Black Kettle had made jambalaya in the crock pot before our departure this morning and it was waiting for our ravenous tribe - hot, spicy, and delicious.

The night was clear with the stars so bright and close it felt like you could reach up and touch them, although a bit windy. Bean Gatherer built a nice fire and our tribe sat around it and talked for hours before finally giving in and going inside our cabin for the night. Who knows how many more comfortable nights like this there may be? Black Kettle and I are writing blog posts while I hear soft snoring coming from the area where Seeks Pie and Li’l Pot are sleeping. We all are exhausted and another big day looms in just a few hours. Good Night all!

Crazy Owl Tribe - Bean Gatherer, Thunder Talker, Black Kettle, Li'l Pot, and Seeks Pie at Fort Hayes.