Nebraska

We stayed overnight at Bordeaux Wildlife Area just across the border after a long day's drive.

I love Nebraska.

Off in the distance in the above photo later that evening was the most amazing lightning storm I had ever witnessed.  Amazing in the frequency of flashes which I tried to capture in a one minute video.

Leaving the Badlands

The evening before we left a herd of Bighorn Sheep passed through coming up from the canyon below from where we were camped.  I doubt you can see them in this photo but some of the group are right in the center of the photo.

Zoomed way in the picture quality isn't all that good but better than nothing.
Notice a few with radio tracking collars.

A marvel that they can stand on such narrow ledges quite at ease.

The morning we left they had moved in closer to camp.
Taken out the window which you can see the bit of bottom left,
which gives an idea as to how close they were, not a care in the world.

Down Into the Badlands

Our camp is just outside the Park entrance where we can camp for free on the grasslands.

This is our view just across the dirt road separating camp form the edge of the plateau we are on.

Yeah, I like having the road between us and the edge.

The first day I just had to see if there was a way down into the Badlands.

See if you can find me in the following photos taken by my camp neighbor Angela.

 

It was windy and cool on the top when I began the hike but once down there

no wind and it began to get warm where here I have taken off my outer shirt.

Not zoomed in like some of the other photos which gives you an idea of the vastness 

but I am there, a speck in the very center.

Thank you Angela for these photos.

Bighorn Sheep

Over the years I have been to many places where if lucky you can see Bighorn Sheep.

I have never seen one but here in the Badlands of South Dakota my luck finally turned.

Before we reached the park I thought this herd of Bison would be the luck of my day.

Then maybe I might see one of these.

I never in my wildest imagination did I think I would see this though.

I have to honest with you though and show the only reason I was able to get the photos I did was because they were right by the road and not bothered in the least with cars passing by.

That's okay, I'll take seeing Bighorn Sheep anyway I can.

Badlands, South Dakota

You might say it looks pretty bleak, barren and desolate and I would have to agree.

This one I like the best for it looks like a painting.

And you might think pretty lifeless too, but tomorrow's post will show that's not so.

Good-bye Belle Fourche

This was a lovely place to stay and I am sure we will return the next time we are in the northwest portion of South Dakota.  We were treated with a wonderful rainbow on our last day.

We continued west to Rapid City, South Dakota to resupply Beans food and Johnny food, do some laundry (oh joy!) then stayed at Cabela's for the night.  Cabela's is a major sporting goods supplier and I once showcased it on one of our cross-country trips where we stayed at the main home office store in Sidney, Nebraska.  I tried to find it in my blog but could not.  Sorry.  

All the stores have these displays of stuffed big game animals indigenous to where that particular store is located.  This one being in the Great Plains area of course had to have a bison or two.  In the above photo you see a huge mammoth bison sculpture out front.  Ah, but inside...I bet you never have seen a two-headed bison before.

Okay, it wasn't.  This was the view from the checkout area.  The other bison is resting it's head on the neck of the nearer one but from this angle it looked to be two-headed.

Moon Over the Lake

The evening of the full moon was pretty.

Prettier than my pictures.

I especially like seeing the shine of the moon on the water.

Less than two weeks to the BIG ECLIPSE!

In the Grassland

A Walk Along the Shoreline

I should have brought back one of these fish, hooked it on my fishing pole and write:

"Look what I caught!"

I was hoping I'd find another fishing pole and reel.

Yeah, I am a dreamer.

The Fishing Pole

We hadn't even set up camp yet at Belle Fourche before a fishing pole was found.

It appeared to had got hung up in the bushes when the water was much higher and fell overboard from a boat.  I've had that happen to me once long ago when we had a boat.

After I took it down to the lake and washed off most of the mud.

Me after washing off the fishing pole in the lake.

And that my friends is why swimming in the lake 

isn't much of an option at least where we are camped.

After disassembly, cleaning, lubricating and polishing it looks much better 

and is operational once again.  A fun project while at camp.

Unfortunately after I got it all back in working order the spool would not go up and down when winding in the line.  I took the reel apart again and discovered why - a gear was stripped.

So now I suspect the previous owner wrecked the reel, got upset and threw it overboard.

People are like that.

But hey, I got a nice fishing pole anyway.