Beyond the Badlands
Birds were constantly surprising us. The first morning I woke up on the Badlands Ranch I saw a flock of huge pelicans flying low right overhead. Pelicans....? in the Badlands? We added many species to our list, many still unidentified. Most surprising was this short-eared owl we spotted on a remote back road excursion.
"Where the Deer and the Antelope play...."
Pronghorn Antelope, Mule and White-tail deer - we lost count of them all. Both Custer and Wind Cave offer excellent wildlife drives. We also took a trail ride (no cameras allowed) along French Creek - site of the first Black Hills gold strike. It was the "gold rush" that precipitated the white man's acquisition of the Black Hills from the Native Americans.....
Finally, one evening, it was alsmost dark... we saw the Elk come out. I held my breath to try and get a steady telephoto exposure in the waning light. But it was my "electronic darkroom" that enhanced the image you see here.
On the other hand, a bunch of bighorn sheep just about ran into our vehicle while climbing the Needles Highway. At another point, a pack of wild donkeys engulfed our car and left a set of "lipstick" marks on my window that looked just like a woman's kiss... (see photo top of page.)