Vacation 2003 - The Wild wild West of Custer State Park PICTURES
In mid July last year we loaded up two mammoth donkeys and a mule, and headed west for our second visit to Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Shortly before dark we made it to Union Co. State Park, just north of Vermillion, SD. This is a real handy little park, very quiet and apparently underused. It had an "honor system" for paying camping fees, and was $16 for a nice site with electric hookup, and large, roomy corrals for the animals. After setting them up for the night, we fired up the A/C in the trailer, and ducked inside, escaping the hordes of hungry mosquitoes, which seemed to be the main drawback to this park. The next morning we hit the road early and made our way across I-90 heading west. As you approach the Missouri River at Chamberlain, the terrain really starts changing, from crop fields to great rolling, expanses of grassy hills. It seems like every 100 yards or so there is a billboard cajoling you to stop and visit the famous "Wall Drug" in Wall, SD. Frankly, after gazillions of advertisements, and the boredom of so many miles spent trapped in a vehicle, we were ready for the Wall Drug experience. And it IS an experience....what started out many years ago as one small drug store, is now a conglomeration of buildings all connected with each other and filled with every kind of gift shop memorablia one could imagine. You really must see it to appreciate ;>) After grabbing a hamburger and fries and mingling with hundreds of other tourists in Wall Drug, we headed on out for the last leg of our journey to Custer. By mid to late afternoon, we were pulling in to the familiar French Creek Horse Camp, greeting the camp hosts, and getting set up in our campsite up on the northeast edge of camp..#13. French Creek is a lovely, well maintained horse camp. Although it doesn't have electricity or water hookups, it does boast the cleanest modern showerhouse I've ever been in, and crystal clear French Creek runs through camp and provides water for the equines. There is one "corral" provided for each site. Sites 13-16 have the largest pens, at around 14x16, most of the others are 12 x 12. A few extra pens are available , first-come, first-serve at $5/night. The park does have a rule requiring only certified "weed free" hay be used, so you either have to buy it from a local grower, or purchase it at the BlueBell Stable just up the road from horse camp. It is not cheap (about $8 for a 40 lb. bale) but this is one of the few downsides to a visit here. The next week and a half were spent enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of the trails. There is plenty of riding, and with a GPS one could venture off the trails and find even more. The trails vary from mostly level and smooth, to extremely steep, rocky, and rugged. There are several loops out of camp, and we finally discovered how to make the French Creek Trail a loop ride. We once counted 32 creek crossings on this ride...your mount will definitely be water broke by the end of it. Another nice, short ride is up to the Blue Bell Lodge, where you can tie your animal and have a meal (Buffalo burgers, stew, etc. are their specialty) Lots of wildlife sightings are part of the charm and allure of Custer. We have never ridden any place where you see as much as you do here. Wild turkey, bighorn sheep, elk, and buffalo wander through camp on a regular basis, and you see all of those plus deer, antelope, and an occasional mountain goat on the trails. The first buffalo encounter can be exciting. I was riding a 4 year old donkey gelding who had a grand total of two rides under his belt before we went to Custer. Luckily, he was possessed of a lot of common sense and a laid back attitude. I was hoping that some buffalo would come through camp while the longears were safely ensconced in their sturdy pen, so that they could get used to the stange looking and smelling beasts before we ran into them out on the trail. Alas, this was not the case. On our second day out, we came quietly over a small rise and upon a HUGE bull buffalo laying (you guessed it) right smack dab in the middle of the trail. I swear those bulls have a sense of humor. They always seem to show up somewhere that makes it necessary for you to get out of "their" way.... and they will lay utterly still and quiet until you get nearly next to them. At that precise moment, as you are tip toeing by on your goggle eyed, ready-to-explode equine, the bull will suddenly decide that a good dust roll is what he really needs, and proceed to start wallowing. If this doesn't cause an instantaneous squat and squirt from your mount, you are pretty darn lucky ;>) "Max", the donkey I was riding, was one who had a very "ho-hum" reaction to the buffalo. He looked mildly interested for a moment, and then started grazing. Sure made me relax! On another ride , along French Creek, we heard a tremendous clattering and crashing and sound of rock sliding. I expected an avalanche, and figured we would find the trail ahead of us buried under tons of debris. Instead, two bighorn rams came skittering down off of the nearly vertical cliff beside us, and landed right in front of us on the trail. Again, the donkeys just looked at these strange critters (who also stood and stared at us) We certainly enjoyed seeing them. We also had one of those rides one day where we were "misplaced" (rather than lost) and ended up in Prairie Dog Village, with hundreds (thousands?) of angry little 'dogs barking at us. They commanded more respect and alarm from the donkeys than the other wildlife (or the rattlesnake Max and I rode right next to) After we escaped the prairie dogs we came around the corner and found hundreds of buffalo grazing on both sides of the trail. After a looong detour up into the woods and around the buffs, we finally made it back to camp. Each evening half a dozen bull elk would come down and graze in the meadow adjacent to our campsite, and quietly feed until melting back into the hills and trees at dawn. We also had a single wild turkey hen who spent her days pecking around the horse pens for spilled grain. Sometimes in the evenings we would drive around the Wildlife loop, and if lucky would see huge herds of grazing buffalo spread out all over the rolling hills. It is an awesome sight. We also encountered both herds of "wild" burros who inhabit the park (they are professional hustlers who will mug passing vehicles for goodies) On days when we needed a break from riding we visited nearby Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave Natl. Park, and the quaint town of Hot Springs. At night, lounging around a campfire admiring the humongous sky full of stars made you think life couldn't get any better than this ;>) We eagerly look forward to our next opportunity to return to Custer....it is indeed one of the most special, memorable, beautiful places to camp and ride that we have experienced to date.