Custer State Park

Our truck was supposed to be ready, "sometime Thursday". We still had the rental car so we had planned a lazy day with a visit to the historic district of Rapid City.

We got a call at 10:30 saying they were done with the truck. WOOHOO. We rushed to transmission place and got the rental car returned a day early. A quick lunch and we headed back to Custer State Park.

But first a stop at WalMart to get a prescription renewed. The guy in line behind us asked where we were from, where we going etc.  etc.  When we told him Custer, he said, "We were there yesterday. Saw HUNDREDS of buffalo. The only pass they sell is for 5 days and we're not going back. Come out to my car and I'll give you our window sticker." Super. We figured he was saving us 5 or 10 dollars but to be polite we followed him to his new Corvette.

Got to Custer - it was a $20.00 fee. BUT karma was at work. We didn't see a single buffalo. Just lots of wild donkeys begging for food.

This was after we stopped at the Visitor's Center to ask where the Buffalo were today. They have a topographical map of the park. They actually have little plastic buffalo they place where the herds have last been seen. Two places on the Wildlife Loop. We jumped  into the truck and headed out. But as  I said, karma said - no pay, no buffalo.

While were we in the Visitor's Center we asked the nice lady if we'd really be missing anything if we left the loop and headed back to Rapid City without going through "the Needles."  She told us that the Needles was a "must see". We had lots of time since we hadn't stopped to see any buffalo so we went home by way of the needles.


THANK YOU Ms. Park Ranger. Don't need no stinkin' buffalo when the Needles are part of the day.

 Our first view.

  A few miles closer.

 The scenery is getting much better

Well, maybe not.

Glad we didn't have the Airstream.

REALLY glad.

Wow.

The Needle's Eye.

Not quite as tight a squeeze for a motorcycle.

On the way back to Rapid Cit, we passed Sylvan Lake. 

Long time readers of my blog will say I'm beating a dead horse but ANOTHER DAY of total failure of our plans. NO BUFFALO.  Nada. Not even ONE.

But, thank  you again, God. Our best day so far for awe inspiring scenery. Thank you again Bonnie Kelley, for Tinkerbell Jerusalem and showing me how to see these incredible "inbetweens". Nothing goes as planned.

It's always as it is meant to be. And always better.