Today we planned to hike Custer State Park and the weather
was perfect. A bit breezy but once in
the trees, it was comfortable. Our first
trail had a difficulty rating of moderate, 1.5 miles and took us about 90
minutes. It felt good to be outdoors, in
the trees, in the sun and hiking up a mountain. Not sure if Dave felt the same. He has this thing about hiking up. That trail finished we head off to another we
had seen on Sunday and it looked level. It
was level until the first switch back.
Marvelous views of a valley and the mountains in the distance. We didn't hike all the way to the valley
floor. Back in the jeep we head to Wind
Cave which is south of Custer State Park.
On the way we passed the prairie dog town. They are so cute and I took about a 100
pictures. I have them barking, running, stretching, standing up, lying down and eating. travel trailer.
We continued to Wind Cave and we went on the guided tour given by a nice young ranger named Lucas. The original opening is 16 inches in diameter. In the late 1800’s, people climbed in to the cave through that small hole and went on candle light tours. We fortunately were able to enter through a much larger entrance. The cave received its name because of the wind that blows either out or in through the original opening depending on the barometric pressure. The cave was awesome, cool, dark and it has some features not found in many other caves. We were about 200 feet underground. Fortunately, they have a lovely elevator that whisks us quickly to the surface.
We return to Custer State Park on our way back and it was later in the day and it was fabulous. The buffaloes were next to the road, we saw mule deer, lots of white tail deer, more turkeys and antelope. We were almost out of the park when we came across a huge buffalo herd, near the road with lots of calves. 150 pictures later we continue on our way back to the hotel. We were both very hungry and planned another trip to Subway. However, the buffalo were everywhere. We saw them at the campgrounds, in front of the lodge and in a picnic area. If you plan on camping in Custer State Park I recommend a cabin or a travel trailer.
At one of the stops to take even more
pictures, the back of my neck hurt and I found a tick. This after talking to rangers and hearing
about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and that ticks in the area are known to
carry it. All the way home and in Subway
I can’t stop itching and feeling my scalp.
A long hot shower made me feel much better and I didn’t find
any more ticks. The spot on my neck
looks like a mosquito bite. I call
Affinity Health, describe my dilemma and they contacted the doctor on
call. He calls me back and after a
discussion that included information I found on the CDC website, he promises to
call in a prescription for antibiotics to a drug store in Custer. Dilemma solved, potential crisis
averted. If I do start to develop
symptoms I can start the drugs right away.
Tomorrow we are going to meet Dave’s friend Maggie and after
they do some target shooting, we are going to visit a geological museum in
Rapid City.
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