Back from the Badlands

Here's a brief public service announcement: If you get a chance to go out to the Badlands in the near, near, future GO!!! Go now in fact. It is so green and pretty. I will post pictures from that trip soon.

The trip went well, we got video of the big horn sheep. I think that I mentioned that in my other Badlands post. Did you know that the rams segregate themselves from the herd? Because of how their stomachs are, a multi chamber stomach (I think that's what the biologist said), they don't have to be as fussy regarding what they eat. They tend to go and hang out in the lower ground, near the tables through the park. The females and lambs stay near the steeper ground. They can flee danger going up and down steep terrain so easily, that's where their hideouts are. Though, they don't seem to mind tourists too much, they'll run right passed a couple picture happy, camera toting folks. Or, they'll graze within 20 feet of a car.

Wednesday night, with the help of a couple SDPB radio personalities, we went out in the middle of the southern portion of the park. I REALLY want a mountain bike. It'd be awesome to go off and travel the gravel sideroads, and the trails that other motor vehicles have carved through the park.

I should've been wearing hiking boots instead of tennis shoes. Ah well, we all hauled the gear over, down and across some interesting terrain.

Later we parked to wait for the rising moon. It did rise, but we didn't get to see it because a storm rolled through. It was fun to watch lightening in the distance. Two radio people went hiking down in the canyon at 10p.m. I told them I'd come out and hike during the day sometime, but I wasn't too interested, even with the help of a headlamp.

Eventually, as three of us waited, we see headlights coming up the path. Not from our co-workers, but from a car. We're out in the middle of nowhere and wonder who this is and what this is about. If it was a vehicle of locals looking to party, who knows what would go down. We all have active imaginations. We hopped into the Durango and locked the doors, and kept our lights out. The car parked acrossed the clearing near the car of our co-workers from Rapid. All was quiet, we were still trying to figure out what was going on. Paul, the co-worker with the producer and I was going to get out and check. There's a dude standing right next to the door. Paul hops back in and locks the door.

There's another guy standing outside, they're looking out over the canyon. I think they're just people out for a scenic view. Two gals approach them. So, our defenses go down. I roll down the window and explain that we were startled. They come over and look into the window and one of the girls says, "Paul...?" The two gals were also SDPB radio employees in Rapid and the two guys were friends of theirs. Paul had met the guy that first approached the car, but didn't recognize him in the dark.

I found it mildly amusing, hopefully you do too.

On the way back to Wall at midnight, mountain time, we driving gravel roads. I'm watching for deer from the passenger seat. I see one on the farside of the ditch, nearly outside of the headlight path. Otherwise, nothing. The road that we were on goes by a buffalo reserve. As we're driving along, there's a HUGE dark mass along side of the road, subtly moving. A person is used to looking for deer, so it didnt' immediately register in my head. And we were tired. But Rina (the producer) and I both immediately start exclaiming, "Buffalo! buffalo! Buffalo!!!" Fortunately it wasn't interested in moving too rapidly either. I don't think that the durango would've tossed him up over the hood or anything. BUt I would imagine that it would be much like hitting a wall and we would possibly be the roadkill instead of the buffalo.

It was a good trip. Of course it wasn't without a Wall Drug donut or two... or three. :D

If you DO travel out to the badlands this summer, don't get too close to the prairie dogs. They have the plague. So especially keep your pets away too! That's probably the more important public service announcement.

Stay tuned for pictures.