CUSTER STATE PARK: BISON, STORM CLOUDS & ONE LAST SUNSET
WHEN A SEVEN-MILE HIKE DOESN'T WEAR YOU OUT
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When I initially planned out my Black Elk Peak day, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel after the seven-mile hike. I thought I would be so exhausted that I'd have to return to the hotel and take a nap.
Nope.
In reality, I felt pretty good. I wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline still running through my body, but I wasn't ready to call it a day.
Since I was already in Custer State Park, I decided to check out the Wildlife Loop. I was really hoping to see some bison.
But I first made a quick stop at Legion Lake. Snapped a few shots and went on my way.
I drove over to the Wildlife Loop entrance near Creekside Lodge, and there they were. The bison.
Tons of them.
More than I remember seeing back in 2021.
They were everywhere. Grazing, dozing, chilling. Cars were pulled over along the road as people stopped to photograph the wild beasts.
Cars along the roadside photographing the bison.
And the male bison were HUGE.
I mean huge.
The kind of huge you wouldn't want ramming your rental car.
I tried taking the opportunity to photograph them, but it's difficult to do when you're also the driver. I had plans to take a private Jeep safari later in the day, so I tried to capture what I could and move on.
The sores on the side were from scratching on trees to relieve an itch.
However, what I saw in the west was coming our way.
Ominous-looking clouds.
THE STORM CLOUDS ROLL IN
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Before my Black Elk Peak hike, I had been keeping a close eye on the forecast because I didn't want to do the hike in the rain or while there was lightning.
It actually turned out to be a beautiful morning for the hike.
The one thing the forecast did predict was possible thunderstorms around 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Really?
How could that be?
The skies were clear.
And sure enough, there they were.
The clouds began rolling in, with lightning in the distance.
I kept driving along the loop, hoping I might find some more animals—pronghorns, prairie dogs, or even the burros.
I didn't see many animals besides bison and some prairie dogs, so I just captured what I could: the rolling hills, the open landscape, and those dark clouds moving across the sky. Maybe it was because of the stormy weather approaching?
FINALLY, SOMEONE ELSE WAS DRIVING
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By later that afternoon, it was almost time for my Jeep tour.
I was supposed to meet my driver in the lobby of Creekside Lodge. There were quite a few people waiting in the lobby for their Jeep tours as well.
Thankfully, mine was private.
That was intentional.
I wanted to be able to move from one side of the Jeep to the other whenever I needed to capture whatever was happening around me. When you're trying to photograph wildlife, being stuck on one side of a vehicle isn't exactly ideal.
My driver was really nice and informative. He answered some of my questions and explained things along the way.
But, for the most part, my purpose was simple:
Take pictures without worrying about having my hands on the wheel.
And that was exactly what I wanted.
THE BISON WERE STILL THERE
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There they were again.
Bison hanging out in the fields.
My guide took me onto a private dirt road where we were able to get a closer look at the bison.
Some were checking us out.
Others were completely minding their own business.
They were grazing, hanging around and generally doing what bison do.
We eventually made our way back to the main loop and kept driving.
The guide spotted some pronghorns.
Of course, every time I see pronghorns, they seem to point their butts toward the camera.
Why?
It's like a dart board.
Apparently, that's the view I'm supposed to photograph. However, a couple did finally turn around and look directly at me.
I think I’m seeing double.
THE WEATHER COOPERATES
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Fortunately, the weather had improved by the time the tour started.
The sky was partly cloudy, with the sun poking out just enough to shine some beautiful light across the landscape.
We drove farther into the loop while the guide explained the history of the park.
I asked him if the burros were around.
They actually were, but they were too far into the park for us to make our way over there.
I was still able to get a few photographs of them from a distance.
We continued on until we reached the top of a hill, where we had a beautiful view of the park.
It was peaceful.
After everything I'd done that day, it was also incredibly relaxing.
I had spent the morning climbing Black Elk Peak, then driven around the park, watched the weather change, and spent the afternoon photographing wildlife.
Now I could just sit there and take it all in.
Along the way, I had also managed to spot a few prairie dogs and some turkeys. So while the bison may have dominated the day, I did get to see a little more of the local wildlife I had been hoping to find.
After about an hour and a half, we made our way back toward the lodge, but before heading in, we made one more stop to watch a few more bison.
One of them was particularly agitated for some reason.
Was another bison invading his turf?
Got me.
Whatever was bothering him, he wasn't exactly thrilled about our presence either. My guide suggested we move on before he decided to ram the Jeep.
Probably a good idea.
We continued back to the lodge, where I was dropped off.
ONE LAST SUNSET
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I still had enough time to check out one last sunset before I had to leave the next morning for my next stop.
So I decided to head up to Mt. Coolidge.
It was about a 30-minute drive, and the drive wasn't too bad. There was a lookout tower up there, so I checked it out for a short while before the sun began to make its way down toward the horizon.
As I stood there setting up my camera, a boy made a comment about how you could see the crane from Crazy Horse.
What?
And you actually could.
I grabbed my phone and captured a few photos before turning my attention back toward the sunset.
If you look at the photo on the right. You can see the crane near the horizon line on the right-hand side.
I stood there looking at the horizon and noticed, once again, clouds.
I've been waiting to capture those cotton-candy-colored clouds at sunset, but I haven't had much luck.
Disappointing?
Yes.
But how could I complain?
I was out in nature, photographing whatever my heart desired.
And what better way to end the day than watching a sunset when, just 13 hours earlier, I had witnessed the sunrise from the top of Black Elk Peak?
Sun rays were peeking out here and there as the light continued to change.
The sun was bidding me goodnight, but not before a little bit of those cotton candy clouds appeared.
It was finally time for the day to end.
I packed up my camera and headed back to the hotel.
PREPARING FOR TOMORROW
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On the drive back, I had already started thinking about the next day's plans.
Initially, I was going to get up early again and head to the Badlands to photograph a sunrise.
But maybe I should just sleep in this time.
I also needed to stop at Best Buy in Rapid City because I wanted another portable hard drive. I wasn't sure I had enough space left on the one I was currently using, and I didn't want to risk running out of storage while I still had days of the trip ahead of me.
There was just one problem.
Best Buy didn't open until 10 a.m.
I'd have to burn some time.
Then it dawned on me.
I should just go ahead and check out one place I hadn’t been able to check out because of the weather.
I could take a few pictures and then make my way over to Rapid City.
When I returned to the hotel, I packed up everything for the next day's departure. I went ahead and preloaded the car with the things I didn't need that night.
That way, I wouldn't have to do it in the morning.
I could just relax.
I was pretty much tired at this point, so it was time to hit the sack in anticipation of another exciting day.
