August 3: Grace Coolidge Trail and Legion Lake Trail

 The town of Custer received 4" of rain yesterday and the flooding was severe. We set out out this morning for Center Lake following the Grace Coolidge trail. If you are wondering about the name, President and Grace Coolidge spent the summer months here in 1927 and announced he would not run for reelection. There is a nearby campground and this trail named for his wife.

 Vicki making one of the stream crossings that hadn't completely washed away.

  Burr Oak, Ponderosa pine, birch, aspen abound on this trail as does poison ivy. We are trying to determine the name of this plant.

 These signs mark the trail but finally the washed out bridges and deep stream crossings stopped us.

 Walked around Legion Lake next. This lake was constructed and then donated to Custer State Park in the 1930s by the American Legion. Great place for children.

Tour: 9 July 2019

 Stopped in Scenic, South Dakota while heading to the Badlands National Park. You can still see some old buildings in this town of less than 60 people.  

 No idea what this little guy is, crawling across the gravel road in Badlands National Park.

 Everyone knows the American bison and he controls the road.

 Notch Trail looking back toward the ladder.

 My guests were just starting down the ladder, this is a dream for a nine year old.

 Prairie homestead is good final stop after driving through the Badlands.

 We did make one more stop, Wall Drug. Can't visit SoDak without a stop at this iconic place.

Tours

 If you aren't following SoDak weather it has been a wet year. We have had 20" of moisture so far this year and a normal total year accumulation is 16-18". While this keeps our part of the state green it also creates problems such as tall grasses that will dry out and easily catch fire. I have included some photos here from the various tours I've been leading. Disclaimer on Mt. Rushmore.......no matter what you hear, there can be no more presidents added to the rock. It's a myth that Obama or Trump will ever be added.

 Crazy Horse is making progress and worth the bus trip back to the base.

 I got caught filling the tour van with gas when this downpour hit town. We received nearly an 1" of rain from this storm. For those of you not from dry climates, that is a lot of rain at one time.

 I had a Colorado couple on a tour when we ran into this family along the road. I had never come across the young ones before!

Lover's Leap Trail, Custer State Park: 1 July 2019

 First time on this trail and we ran into a lot of poison ivy. It's a 4 mile loop and opportunity to see wildlife is above average. This trail is located near the C.S.P. Game Lodge that was the summer White House during the Coolidge administration.

 This sign took me back to team teaching days with Tom and Kirk. We would have had a wonderful project for American Studies centering around this sign.

 We were not as close as this photo appears, sorry it is so grainy.

 The trees show the fire damage from the December 2017 fire that burned over 50,000 acres in C.S.P. The large amounts of moisture the past two years have helped bring the forest back. There is a lot of food for the large bison, deer and other animals.

Friends

We had a great visit with friends from Illinois. Far too brief but we were able to get the children downtown to play in the fountain.

 Morning trip to Sylvan Lake is always welcome. Did some hiking and getting wet. As you can see there is a variety of activities and the area was packed with people enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

June 19, 2019: Custer State Park

A couple of years back the park lost a few of these guys to the fire. It is so nice to see the survivors fully recovered and back to searching (begging) for food. Remember, no candy, fast food, chips, etc, bring carrots or an apple.

 Just in case you need any antlers.

June 19, 2019: Custer State Park

The antelope have been giving birth so part of the reason we traveled to the park was to see the young ones. I had been fortunate enough to take a tour to the Little Big Horn Battlefield and all along Rt. 212 we saw young antelope out with mom. Unfortunately for us we didn't see any little ones today.

 We left the main highway to drive some back roads in the park on our search. We found prairie dogs but no baby antelope.

 The late snow and regular rains have helped the spring flower show in the hills.

June 19, 2019: Custer State Park

We arrived in Custer State Park by 7:30 a.m. and as we began our drive on the Wildlife Loop we encountered the bison herd. I realize I post numerous bison photos but I don't get tired of watching them. We have had so much rain this year their coats don't look great because they don't have dry ground to roll on to rub off their winter coat. Maybe that is going to change. Notice how many of the shots have bison laying on the ground, their food is so plentiful they don't have to be eating all day. They get to eat, sleep, move and start over.