0548 Custer SP to Buffalo Wyoming

26^th June 2016

Wide open plains and lots of wildlife !

Bit of a black wine gum day today – Had to cover a lot of country that made the Nullarbor look exciting, but there was so much wildlife out there that I actually had a really great day, stopping and starting and doing U turns to check things out all the time !  And when you start the day off with a little prairie dog waving at you, how can the day be bad ?

Was a bit late getting going as was very tired last night, but as I drove out of the camp site one of the first things I saw was a little prairie dog town, and I swear one was waving at me as I passed !   The plan was to wander through Custer State Park, which unfortunately cost me $20 because being a State Park it doesn’t come under the National Parks system that I have a season pass for !  Grrrr.  But it made up for it scenically and wildlife-wise.

The road in through the park is delightful, winding through forests and then through open plain areas.  Through the trees I could see buffalo wallowing in the dust baths that they seem to enjoy so much, and then I came round the corner and there was a whole herd (calves included) coming down the side of the road, munching as they wandered. (Funny that the calves don’t yet “have the hump” – Getting the hump must come as they get older, like some people too

!!) A little further on, in the first open area I came too, there was a whole herd of them just doing their thing and enjoying the day.  It was SO peaceful – About 4 cars were there, and we had all got out of the cars and just sat on the side of the road for about half an hour just watching them.  What a way to start the day !

And so it went for the next hour or so, sometimes held up as a few decided to cross the road (and they often stop and stand in the middle of the road for a while, I think just “because they can”, and so hold up all the traffic for a while !  Then I saw some white tailed deer (I think they are),  and every so often a prairie dog town, and than I finally saw a turkey buzzard (or whatever they call them in S Dakota – I call them vultures !) which was having a feed

beside the road.  Unfortunately prairie dogs are basically fast food for anything out here that eats meat, and I think this turkey buzzard had got one.  He only flew 20 metres and sat on a fence pole, waiting for me to go so he could get on with his meal !

The delightful road continued through the park, and it was just a very pleasant morning’s drive, mostly at about 15 mph because of all the animals.  At one stage there were a few mules on the road (they had to be mules – Look at the ears !), but unfortunately, despite all the signs saying “Don’t fee the wildlife” one silly group of people had got out of their cars and were feeding them all sorts of things.  Grrrrr.  I carefully avoided taking any photos of them and just shook my head as I drove past.

Eventually I came out of the Park and headed west towards Custer, seeing what I have now found out are Pronghorn Antelope, whose heads look a bit like giant stag beetles due to the shape of their horns.  It turns out that they are neither antlers nor horns (or maybe they are both) because they have permanent horns, but each year grow a short set of antlers over the top of the horns, which they then shed each year.  (Antlers are shed each year, where horns are kept for life)  Never knew that before !  Ended up seeing quite a few of them during the day. 

The countryside then opened up, and I drove through places like French Creek which had a camp site done up as an old style Cavalry Base !   Then Custer itself is very “cowboy-ish”, and every street corner has a brightly painetd buffalo which are actually rather good – I only managed to photograph one because I was so busy looking at trucks full of (used) antlers and many other things that I could scarcely believe seeing !

Then it was on past Hell Canyon and into Wyoming, and then out across the Thunder Basin National Grassland area.  This area is just so big and so bare it is amazing – Seriously, it makes the Nullarbor look like a forest !  For miles there are just no trees at all, and not even the scrub that one gets in Aus – Just grass, that’s all.   And more deer and these pronghorns.  And unfortunately a rather nasty truck accident when a tanker with a 2^nd trailer had somehow come off the road on a corner and there were ambulances and tow trucks already out there, but it didn’t look good as the cab of the truck was almost totally demolished. 

Once past that delay we came to the Thunder Basin Coal Company and the Black Thunder mine which is enormous, stretching for miles – And that is only the bits you can see !  Long coal trains – empty ones lined up one way waiting to be filled, and full ones on the other side ready to head out, and then a couple of signs which got me worried – “Blasting Area – Orange cloud possible – Avoid contact” !!!   Sounded rather nasty – I couldn’t work out how one could avoid an orange cloud coming down the road !!

Lots of oil out here too, with donkey pumps nodding away in the fields all over the place.  Also saw a number of drilling rigs at work, which always brings a bit of a smile to my face, and an urge to drop in and make sure their mud is OK !!  Having stayed on some very minor (but good) roads, I eventually came through a little town of Sussex (how did Sussex get out here in Wyoming !), and the main highway 25 heading north to Buffalo.  This road was also good because now to my left is the beginning of the Rocky Mountains, and in

the distance I could see snow at the top of the mountains – That always puts a smile on my face !  I realized today that for the past 2 days I have actually been up at about 5000 ft asl, up on the central plateau that forms much of Wyoming and neighbouring states.  That explains why, after the horrible heat of the Badlands NP, the last couple of nights have actually been quite cool.

I knew there were camp sites in the Bighorn National Forest just to the west of Buffalo, and I wanted to find one tonight that had a shower etc – Warmer weather makes it “harder” to wild camp than colder weather !  When I pulled into Buffalo, there was a KOA and although one pays for more amenities that I don’t need  when I am travelling on my own, (like hot tubs and swimming pools and play areas !!), they do have realize nice showers, and good wifi, so I was checked in immediately ! 

Camp site was very pleasant, although they are all getting a bit crowded now.  My “stop at 3 or 4 pm” theory worked again, because it only started to really fill up at about 6 pm or later.   So, showered and supper on the go before I got a bit crowded in.

Tomorrow the plan is to head towards Yellowstone, but travelling on the smaller roads, and heading towards a pass on the Montana Wyoming border call the Bear Tooth Pass.  Phill, one of my Elise friends in Aus had told me about this pass when I did the Elise trip in 2012, but unfortunately it was March and the whole area was still snowed in.  So I am going to go there this time, and hopefully camp up in the pass area.  That way I can get into Yellowstone and hopefully out again in one day, and then of the camp sites are all full, as I expect they may be, it won’t inconvenience me too much.  That’s the plan, anyway.

As for today – Covered a lot of miles, but saw some great sights and wildlife along the way.  Definitely a black wine gum day !

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/6300707654271871921?authkey=Gv1sRgCOnk5NugmZfluQE