Life Lessons from a Winnebago V
We wake up in Custer State Park clean as can be after showers the night before. We have high hopes for seeing wildlife today in the park, and are weighing the benefits of a good breakfast against the hopes of seeing more animals in their early morning routine. With grumbly tummy's we opt for an early start on our day. Our sacrifice pays off when we encounter two bison right in the middle of the road. They are completely aloof. They never look at us and feel no pressure to get off the road. I am amazed at how skinny their legs are; I think Lydia's legs are bigger than theirs even though they weigh more than 10 times her. We don't witness them running, but they can run as fast as 35 mph carrying a ton or more of weight.
Going on we see another vehicle pulled off the side of the road, but see no wildlife. We pull over anyways, and are rewarded with an entire city of prairie dogs. They are smaller than expected, and so cute, and Chelsea falls in love with them. They are busier than beavers, in and out of the burrows, preparing a succulent breakfast they don't offer to us. One was willing to pose with Chelsea though.
Our next visit is with a family of burros, and they are the most hospitable of all the cratures we meet. As we drive up we don't just see burros, but we see people and burros socializing. Quicker than Bugs Bunny, Chelsea and I grab carrots, and head out to join the party. They love the carrots. Chelsea feeds a couple carrots to an adult burro, and then moves on to a baby. The baby does have much interest, but the adult follows her incessantly desperate for more carrots. They enjoy being petted and the baby's fur is downy soft. Many years ago burros were used to help transport people in the Black Hills. When their usefulness was complete, they were released to the wild to make their own way.
Having seen two bison, we hope to see more, and we are not disappointed. We see a small herd having a casual breakfast about 100 yards away. Then we see about 100 300 yards away. Over the course of the day we see many more herds and many of them within spitting distance. The are majestic creatures and I understand the intrigue like never before.
Leaving Custer State Park, we enter Wind Cave National Park and see a group of pronghorns, the fast animals in North America.
The Wind Cave is at least the 6th largest cave in the world, based on the known trails and rooms. It would likely be the largest if it was fully explored. We take a breathtaking journey 180 feet under the earth. I am wholely unable to keep the mental images of Gollum, Frodo, and Bilbo Baggins out of my head. Unfortunately, Gollum does not appear and someone else has already found the golden ring. The cave is famous for its "box work" shown below. We also see popcorn, massive boulders, big rooms, little rooms, and beauty of all sorts. At one point we turn out all the lights to experience pure, unadulterated darkness. Interestingly, there are no stalagmites and stalactites so ubiquitous in Luray Caverns in the Appalachains.
I learn something I learned long ago. I remember a comment by my history teacher in high school about the bison and the Native Americans. She told us that the Native Americans would use every last bit of the bison they killed; nothing was wasted. If the bison must die for them to live, they would respect the bison in his death through their conservation. This was one of those strange comments that lodge so deeply in ones psyche that it affects your whole life. I have kept this tradition much to the chagrin of my family. Every chicken, every steak bone, all the bacon lard is saved, and used or given away. Food waste is composted, raw materials are recycled. It took God and nature thousands, perhaps millions of years to create all that we casually consume. Like the Native American with the bison, so we should do with all the gifts God has given us. It's a way of life I strongly recommend.
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