Three Times is a Charm: “Buffalo are dangerous. Please, do not approach”

This had to be the old papa of the herd. He stayed behind until all of the young'uns were ahead of him. He was the biggest one and at times he was no farther than 8-10 feet from us.

Pronghorn

Stockade Lake

Day Four: Custer State Park Wildlife Loop

The Ranger at the gate to the park reassured us that the buffalo were out in the park. Not more than 1-2 miles into the park, the buffalo were on the road and alongside the road. Not just a couple either; a herd! Fences? We don’t need no stinking fences! You just slowly idle by them as they saunter their way down the road. We took many pictures and video clips we hope to share. After following and sharing the road for about an hour, we decided to hang back a ways and were fortunate to see a small herd of pronghorn running down the hill to a flat area for grazing, maybe 10-12 or so. It seemed one male was the one in charge and kept the others in line, herding them back to their small circle. We watched them for a while and all of a sudden, a white tailed doe came into the area for grazing.

We decided to try to get past the herd of buffalo. Very carefully (and some pops from the Road King), we passed those we had followed for so long. A couple of curves ahead, there was another herd at least as big, grazing at the side of the road. We saw even more throughout the park. Custer State Park has the largest number of buffalo in the US.

The roads were perfect for riding; lots of curves and hills (really big hills), beautiful scenery at every turn with the promise of seeing buffalo, pronghorn, prairie dogs, burros, whitetail, mountain goats, etc.

We rode the loop so we would end up leaving the park and heading up Needles Highway:

“On the Needles Highway (SD 87), you'll experience hairpin curves, pigtail bridges, and narrow tunnels that wind in and around massive granite pinnacles and rugged terrain. With views of a variety of spires and outcroppings, the highway is considered one of the most scenic drives in America. At the end of one tunnel, you'll be treated to a spectacular view of the Needles Eye, a granite spire bearing a 3-4 foot wide slit that reaches 30 to 40 feet in the air.”

Needles: