Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Black Hills Rollerskating (Part II)

Our choice of a camping week in the Black Hills of South Dakota was planned for mid September  to avoid the crowds of people attending the annual "buffalo roundup" on the weekend of the 25th. Thousands of buffalo scattered throughout the hills are gathered, corralled, counted and culled for auctioning.  It turns out they were collected and hidden away so that on the aforementioned weekend they could be corralled and showcase all at once to their adoring fans.  We saw only two on our daylong outing in Custer State Park. 
The next day was different though as we headed an hour  south to Wind Cave National Park where the four legged giants were grazing in abundance....
Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
 Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd

 
 But you can be happy if you've a mind to
 
All ya gotta do is put your mind to it

 Knuckle down, buckle down, do it, do it, do it

Gary and Rosie did some spelunking in Wind Cave while Mrs. T. and I did some exploring/hiking.  The trip back to our campground took us thru Custer State Parks "Loop Road" where we saw some more critters including a small herd of semi-wild burros. They weren't the least bashful about sticking there noses right inside the car looking for treats....
A pronghorn antelope
And on a smaller scale a mountain bluebird and a prairie dog.  All in all it was a beautiful day in the Black Hills of South Dakota.....
 
 


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23 comments:

  1. TexWisGirlWed Oct 09, 08:09:00 PM

    hadn't thought of that song in years! :) thanks for the nature shots.

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  2. LindaWed Oct 09, 09:32:00 PM

    Delightful. Love the photos, and the burros made me smile. I love their expressions.

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  3. Jo's WorldWed Oct 09, 10:26:00 PM

    Dear Roger Troutbirder:

    I can only wish I could hear you sing that in person. Did the bufflers like it?

    Cheers,

    Jo and petz

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  4. Far Side of FiftyWed Oct 09, 10:33:00 PM

    Great Buffalo shots! We did "caves" years ago..I would have picked the hike too:)

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  5. Ms. AThu Oct 10, 01:53:00 AM

    I may have been a former skater and coach, but I wouldn't dare roller skate in that herd!

    You saw some awesome wildlife!

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  6. warriormomThu Oct 10, 05:11:00 AM

    Beautiful!

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  7. ♥Caroline♥Thu Oct 10, 05:15:00 AM

    such nice pics...it's not everyday that you see buffalo roaming!

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  8. Out on the prairieThu Oct 10, 07:54:00 AM

    you are the 2nd person I know who was up for the roundup.I did a lot of plant studies up there making sure they were rotating the herds.

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  9. RedThu Oct 10, 08:03:00 AM

    It's good to see a more or less free roaming buffalo herd.

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  10. WillowThu Oct 10, 08:43:00 AM

    You guys go on the best outings !!!
    Loved seeing the buffalo and I DO remember that song :)

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  11. AnonymousThu Oct 10, 09:21:00 AM

    Imagine the 60 million buffalo slaughtered by white settlers for their tongues and hides?

    An early act of terrorism by the US government?

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  12. possumThu Oct 10, 11:49:00 AM

    To add to Lincoln's comment - and the thousands killed just for the fun of shooting, thousands more for the sole purpose of starving the natives. Indeed, earlier acts of terrorism.

    On the bright side, they are slowly coming back. We even have a small herd of them here on the shore. The owner bought a couple to raise and butcher - but his kids named them... you know what that means. They now have several dozen "bobos" as my grandson called them. And they all have names. No bobo burgers here!

    Glad you had a fun trip.

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  13. Christmas-etc...Thu Oct 10, 12:01:00 PM

    Hi Again!
    Now this was an amazing trip. I've been to wind caves...years and years ago! Loved it... I kept listening out for the wind...(okay, so I was a rather young girl then!)
    Hope all is well with you and the Mrs and and the grandkids!
    Blessings,
    Ann

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  14. Nancy/BLissed-Out GrandmaThu Oct 10, 01:02:00 PM

    Our grandkids love bison (and always call them that instead of buffalo). They drove through that same area a few months ago and just loved seeing the critters sauntering down the road very near their car. We are all cheering the return of wild herds. Nice post.

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  15. L. D. Thu Oct 10, 01:33:00 PM

    I really like to see the buffalo. I first saw the sight in 1957 when my parents and us four boys took our very first trip out west. I returned again as an adult but that was probably 35 years ago.

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  16. Folkways Note BookThu Oct 10, 01:46:00 PM

    Liked the burros begging for treats. Also, the buffaloes. But its too bad that they are being auctioned off. "Where the bufflo roam," is a song that is out of date I guess,seems like they are just products now, -- barbara

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  17. MichelleThu Oct 10, 07:05:00 PM

    I love those wild burros!

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  18. RoadDogFri Oct 11, 06:20:00 AM

    "Dang Me, Dang,Me. They ought to get a rope and...." A local tourist farm had some young buffalo but got rid of them after they found that they could easily breach the fence. I would have hated to wake up and find a buffalo out in the yard.

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  19. NCmountainwomanFri Oct 11, 09:41:00 AM

    Love Roger Miller. All of the songs will definitely stay in your head.

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  20. Betsy Banks AdamsFri Oct 11, 02:32:00 PM

    Oh My... That reminds me of our wonderful trip to the Black Hills in Sept. of 2012.... We went through Custer --and saw the 'begging' Burros also....

    Next time we go, we will go to Wind Cave... Looks neat!!! We would be HIKING also--not spelunking!!!! ha

    Hope you went on the Needles Highway when there. Going through that teeny tunnel was a highlight...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  21. CatherineFri Oct 11, 06:44:00 PM

    Haha! What a sight to see all those buffalos!
    Hope you set your mind to a happy weekend my friend! :)
    xo Catherine

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  22. CarolSat Oct 12, 11:47:00 PM

    Don't you just love the sound of the herd ...breathing and huffing and snorting. Did you feel the earth shake as they walked? I love the Black Hills :)

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  23. GeorgeSun Oct 13, 06:48:00 PM

    We met those same burros when we visited Custer State Park last summer. It's good to see that they are as 'shy' as ever.

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