How I spent My 81 Day Time Out - Part 2: Wild Asses Licked My Car

[Scuba]

The southwest corner of South Dakota is a cornucopia of natural wonders. Badlands National Park, as I chronicled in Part 1: The South Dakota Badlands In Winter is absolutely amazing. After leaving there, Crystal Dancer and I drove to Keystone, SD in the Black Hills where we stayed only minutes from Mount Rushmore. One of the nice things about this winter trip (late January) was the fact that very few other visitors were out and about. We saw only two other vehicles all day in Badlands National Park and were the only guest at our hotel one of our two nights in Keystone; there was one other couple there the second night.

Similarly, there was literally only one other couple at Mount Rushmore when we visited...





Crazy Horse is another "must see" destination in the Black Hills. It's very cool, even if it won't be completed in my lifetime ...



After leaving the Crazy Horse Memorial, we visited Wind Cave National Park. While all the photos I took in the cave are worthless, it is an incredible place to visit, and well worth the $5 fee for a tour. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/wica/index.htm Again, travelling in winter proved advantageous - only one other couple (with two toddlers) were on our tour. The guide said that summer tours typically had 45 people along.

One note about the tour: While describing the cave the tour guide mentioned that some of the rare "boxwork" formations were created "a very, very long time ago." I asked what a "very, very long time" meant and she indicated it meant some 30 million years. Later, when I was able to speak to her privately I asked if her choice of words was in deference to the sensitivities of fundamentalists. She answered in the affirmative before I even finished the question. Shame on the National Park Service for this pandering.

After leaving Wind Cave, we travelled a bit farther south to Custer State Park and drove the Wildlife Loop Road. This 18 mile stretch of blacktop winds through the 71,000 acre park and is certainly well named. The $20 fee is worth every penny.

This prairie dog town was right alongside the road. Locals warned us to not pet the prairie dogs as they carried bubonic plague. I'm not much of one for petting rodents anyway, and the threat of Black Death was plenty to keeep me away. Still, the little guys are cute ...



But what I really wanted to see were bison. Lots of bison scat was apparent but we drove several miles before seeing one, and that one was on a far hillside and I only confirmed it was actually a bison by using binoculars. Still, I saw one! WooHoo!!!

Then we rounded the next curve. No rollerskating here!


Here's a big one ...


Mama and calf ...


Red rocks in the Black Hills ...


Cresting the next hill, we saw something we didn't expect at all ...


The "begging burros" of Custer State Park are feral donkeys that have taken to begging for food from visitors. They also have keen noses ...



... and smelled the salt that had accumulated on my vehicle over the 1,000 miles we had travelled from Wisconsin. They made a beeline for the car ...





These bison ignored us as I weaved my car slowly past them on the road ...



Rounding the next hill there was one more incredible sight for us - a herd of elk crossing the road ...


When our car approached, the herd split up but this big boy re-crossed the road, rounded up the rest of his herd and moved them across the road with the others. Then he turned and kept an eye on us ...



Worth noting that we saw only one other vehicle the entire time we were in the park. Winter touring can be hit-or-miss with the weather (we were lucky) but certainly gives one a chance to see the sights while avoiding the crowds. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Oh yeah, I had donkey slobber on my car until I found a carwash ...



Stay tuned for Part 3 - Getting High In The Rockies

[lamp_shade]

1. These are magnificent photos. Thanks for sharing them. nt

[Bjornsdotter]

2. Beautiful pictures

It looks like you had a,wonderful trip. Sad to say I am old enough to undetstand the roller skating comment.


Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

[Stellar]

3. WOW...

just WOW! I feel like I'm right there.

Thank you for sharing!

[malaise]

4. You should thank the Mods for the time out

Wonderful trip - magnificent pics.

Thanks

[hobbit709]

5. The first thought in my mind about "wild asses" didn't involve donkeys.

[SDJay]

6. These Are Fantastic Photos

Thank you for posting them. A real treat!

[panader0]

7. Great photos--great trip.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. They are democrats!

Thanks for fun post!

[Scuba]

9. "Fun" doesn't begin to describe it. When those donkeys had us surrounded we couldn't stop laughing.

For some reason it was too funny for words. Hysterically funny.

[New Orleans Strong]

10. Scuba -

Went to SD a few years back. Thanks for bringing me back to such a beautiful place.

[zentrum]

11. K& Big R

[malthaussen]

12. Wait a minute, where's Reagan's head?

Surely they've carved his face into Rushmore by now!

-- Mal

[MidwestTech]

14. It's literally not for lack of trying

but every time it comes up saner heads stop it... I'm honestly amazed they didn't manage it when * was in power.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

59. Probably the only thing that stopped it was some grudge between Barbara & Nancy.

[frogmarch]

13. Great pictures!

I love the Badlands.

I was 7 when my mom & dad and sisters & I first saw them. As we grew near, my mom said, “Here come the Badlands!” My 3-year-old sister, who was in the back seat of the car, got down on the floorboard and covered her head. We asked her why she was hiding. “The bad mans are coming!” she said.

[TBF]

15. Amazing photos -

I am loving this series!!

[zomgitsjesus]

16. Amazing bunch of pictures, thanks!

Seems like your timeout was productive.

[Old Crow]

17. LOL @ donkey slobber. :) (N/T)

[Thespian2]

18. Recommend Highly...

Thanks for the beautiful photos...This is the country we are fighting to save...

[Hissyspit]

19. "Wild Asses Licked My Car"

Isn't that the title of Hunter S. Thompson book?

[hatrack]

21. I was thinking of Frank Zappa myself

?w=614&h=586

[Hissyspit]

43. That's it!

I kept thinking Captain Beefheart, but knew that wasn't right.

[NV Whino]

20. This month's photo contest is Animal Planet

You should enter one of these.

[highprincipleswork]

22. That was a great journey. Thanks!

[Shrike47]

23. Thank you so much for these posts. Now I can't wait to go there.

[mountain grammy]

24. Beautiful, wonderful

South Dakota. Been watching that Crazy Horse Memorial take shape for 30 years... Made it to a night blast a couple of years ago.
Thanks for the pics. Time for another trip, but think I'll wait till summer.

[dembotoz]

42. last time i saw crazy horse was over 40 years ago

i can see a face!!!!!

there has been progress

[mountain grammy]

45. Find a way to get there

It's spectacular and the new cultural center is just great. you will be absolutely amazed at the changes. I like them, unlike Rushmore, which I think they ruined with development.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

25. Great!!

[oldandhappy]

26. Amazing. You saw so much wildlife.

I love this trip you took! I have never had a hankering to go the Badlands but you make it appealing and interesting and enticing. Maybe early Spring would be good for me. My hotel is a 23 year old camper, smile. Spring and Fall would be good, kids in school might reduce the number of people on the road. Wonderful photos of the animals. Thanks. Anticipating the Rockies!

[valerief]

27. More great pics! Holy shit, what an adventure. I can't believe those bison let you drive by them.

I would have been terrified. And the wild asses are comical as all hell. Looking forward to the next batch.

[Scuba]

29. Being surrounded by the donkeys was hysterical. We couldn't stop laughing.

[Phentex]

71. Those pics were my favorite!

Remember the guy who claimed he woke up in a field of donkeys? Now we see how this could happen!

[2naSalit]

30. Bison are rather docile unless

you give them a reason not to be, or they are in rut. But the clue to keeping them calm when approaching in a vehicle is, they don't like headlights and they want to see your eyes when you go by, most of the time they will move off the road after you look at them and they see you aren't intending harm. I live around bison all year and I have learned these things about them. They also remember people they have encountered previously.

[valerief]

32. Fascinating. I thought most animals DON'T want you to look at them, because they see that

as threatening. Ha, shows you what I know! And they remember people? They sound like elephants!

[2naSalit]

36. Well, they certainly are sentient beings

The trick in "looking" at an animal is what I came to call the "nonaggressive stance". Basically, when you are in the proximity of any domestic or non-predator wild animal, simply relax, tilt your head a little to one side and slowly blink while looking at them. When I was learning to do this it was learning to not frighten deer, it works... even helps relax shelter animals. The bison want to know you are not a predator they need t react to.

Predators are another story, they will look directly at you and not blink, don't return the gaze, slightly turn your head to the side, up to 45 degrees, and slowly back away from them, standing your ground or looking directly at them - especially bears - will be interpreted by the animal as a challenge to fight.

Tacit understanding when you live in the wild.

[valerief]

37. Great information. Thanks for clarifying! You know, I now recall watching that cat guy

Jackson Galaxy talk about getting a house cat to trust him. He'd patiently blink slowly--if you close your eyes in the cat's presence, you're risking attack by not being vigilant. Therefore, you're telling the cat you're not going to attack and trust the cat won't attack you either. Its just what you're saying.

And the predator thing makes sense, too. I don't expect to be in the company of any wild bears anytime soon (although they're out here in Northern Mass.), but I've read not to look them in the eye.

My Nature Problem:
I've been cursed the past couple of years with cardinals bashing my windows. I put stick-ems all over the windows, which reduced the bashings but didn't eliminate them. Yesterday, I got some shiny bird repellent tape. I put it on the windows and also tied it to the hedge along the side of my house (the birds bash those windows). My windows look ridiculous BUT no window bashing this morning! What was interesting yesterday was, as I was tying a strip of the shiny tape to a branch, another little bird (some kind of striped finch or sparrow) came right up near me, perched on a branch, and watched me tie the tape. Some bird repellent! It seemed fascinated by the stuff. Ha! As long as that bird doesn't bash my windows, it's cool with me.

[2naSalit]

38. Jackson is right, cats are predators too.

The bird thing... once upon a time I lived in central Wisconsin where there were cardinals. I had a friend who also had them bashing his windows. One killed itself doing that, being a scientist he dissected it to see if there was something he could find about the bird. He found some kind of parasite had infested its skull. A behavioral aspect is also that they see themselves in the reflection in the glass and, therefore, attack it thinking it's a competitor... as was the case with other cardinals, some of whom also smashed themselves to death and weren't infested with some parasite. The answer was putting up some kind of mesh that you can see through like mosquito mesh or normal window screen mesh during mating and rearing season.

I think the little observer of the tape application was thinking that a little bling in the nest might be really attractive.

[valerief]

39. Bling bird. Ha! I love a bird that can appreciate a little flash. nt

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

55. I saw a story a while back about a bird that would take coins out of a car wash machine

The owner had set up a camera to monitor the machine, and found coins on the roof and under a nearby tree.

[hopemountain]

63. i find shiny copper pennys on the drive

from the front gate - and i figure the ravens are dropping them on their flights up the branches of the cedars and pines.

[2naSalit]

28. What an experience!

Appears that you had a good adventure, the pictures are great, love the stories.

[surrealAmerican]

31. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.

[Cheese Sandwich]

33. This seems like a totally awesome vacation.

Thanks for sharing.

[OnyxCollie]

34. Thanks, Scuba!

[geardaddy]

35. Thanks for sharing your stories!

Can't wait for the next episode!

[0rganism]

40. wow that bull elk reminds me of...

[kdmorris]

41. Still chortling about this part

I'm not much of one for petting rodents anyway, and the threat of Black Death was plenty to keep me away. Still, the little guys are cute ..

LMAO These pictures are amazing, too.

[Arugula Latte]

44. Heh heh. You said "asses" and "licked."

[Mike Nelson]

46. Scuba, these photos are...

...SPECTACULAR!!!:

hattip:

[magical thyme]

47. Fabulous! Thank you...

Love them all, but most 'specially this one:

[Scuba]

48. These guys were awfully cute too. I just couldn't stop laughing ...

[Surya Gayatri]

49. Enormous K & R.

[SunSeeker]

50. Very cool pics. Damn, makes me want to do a road trip.

[Scootaloo]

51. You don't know how much I needed that laugh

"Wild asses licked my car!"

Thank you, man.

[warrprayer]

52. Welcome back!

Glad you returned!

[stage left]

53. All I can say is

wow!

[Dont call me Shirley]

54. Donkey slobber...

So you really didn't miss out on DU

[Odin2005]

56. Those donkeys are so damn cute!

[vkkv]

57. Oh man, Fun! Great pics! Life isn't so bad out there. My wife and I just got back

from a day picnic in Yosemite Valley this afternoon.. it's only an hour away.
Ho-hum compared to super-cute burros licking your car.

Post more pics!

[vkkv]

58. Geeez, one your hid comments was simply telling someone that they're about as progressive as Bristol

Palin is a virgin ?

That's a great line. Not one cuss word.

Some people here have no sense of humor - but have very thin skin.

Be glad you aren't them.

[JHB]

60. A rec just for the title

Great pics, but the subject line still has me laughing all out of proportion.

[ANOIS]

61. Thank you, Scuba, for sharing the great pics.

Good idea to visit in the winter.

[Liberal_in_LA]

62. ..

[hopemountain]

64. ha! those donkeys are

comedians
thanks for sharing your great pics. thanks for keeping the beauty of nature alive in our spirits.

[lovemydog]

65. Oh my gosh Scuba this is a great travelogue.

It's like Fear & Loathing in the Badlands Where Wild Asses Licked My Car.

[Hekate]

66. Wonderful! Link to Part 1 pretty please?

Thank you for sharing!

[Scuba]

70. Thank you. Link to Part 1 is right here ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027691035

[nikto]

67. Good thread

[47of74]

68. Cool, thanks for sharing these.

[Hortensis]

69. Absolutely delightful!

Thank you again, Scuba. You've sold us, you and the absence of lines. We're heading to the Great Plains next winter, or at least late fall. Too early to know when - El Nino's expected to go away and next year may see a La Nina form. Whatever. We've never visited this area, and it's way past time.