Wind Cave National Park

On our way to the Rushmore area, we took the scenic drive through Wind Cave National Park. We opted against doing one of the cave tours due to time constraints but we wanted to see if we could spot any of the wildlife that roams the park. The signs that said "Wildlife at large" just cracked us up.

This was our only glimpse of the buffalo that roam the park. They were *very* far away and looked more like black spots against the hillside than anything else.

The prairie dogs, on the other hand, were everywhere. And they were most adorable. Vehicle traffic didn't phase them at all but if you stepped outside the car, they went scampering.

We also saw several pronghorn antelope. This guy had some nice "prongs".

There were also lots of little ones, like this mama and her babies. My being out of the car to take pictures didn't bother them but it set off the prairie dogs like you wouldn't believe. They protested loudly and vociferously the entire time I was out. Then once I got back in, they quieted right down.

Evidently, Matt got a little creative with the camera when I was checking us in to our next campground. I'd turn the other way in a hurry if you encounter this psychotic driver...

More pictures are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/WindCaveNationalPark