Hi Gram,
It was weird. I walked into the breakfast room and saw some of the roughest, hardiest, hard-working men, all grizzly and grimacing. I thought “if I’ve ever seen a room of Trump supporters, this is it.” The TV was playing MSNBC, though, and breakfast was croissants, egg, bacon, and sausage. It was a juxtaposition of grizzly right and fluffy left. Just weird.

I drove over to the park entrance again and felt a little criminal when I just drove in. I have a pass, but there was nobody at the gate to show it to. On my way to my first stop, I came around a gentle bend and saw a buffalo meandering down the road in the other lane.

I slowed to a stop and snapped a few photos out the window, then continued on my way before he considered me a threat. I navigated to the Caprock Coulee trailhead and followed the Buckhorn trail past rock striations and prairie, listening to a podcast to keep me company.

I was in search of Prairie Dog Town, hoping to spot some prairie dogs but all I saw were their burrows and holes, no actual animals. When I caught up to a family that had stopped to turn around, I asked if they had seen any prairie dogs, and the dad pointed to the left and right and said “yeah, they’re everywhere!”

I had reached their town without even realizing it. I got a few photos and spent some time just watching them scurry about, then decided I’d better get back to the car so I could do another small hike before it got too hot outside.

I stopped at River Bend Overlook, thinking there was a trail there, but once I got there it looked like the trail ran right next to the road. I walked down to the overlook shelter for some pictures and ended up having an extended conversation with Eric, a retiree who loves reading about history and seeing the places from his books. I learned a little about Lewis and Clark, Custer, and some battles and forts in the area.

I headed to my last stop here, Oxbow overlook. I saw a herd of buffalo here yesterday, but you know buffalo – they wander. I hiked out to Sperati Point and saw some expansive views along the way that just made me feel tiny. The trail wasn’t as trodden as some of the others, so my ankles got whipped by low lying whisps and branches, but it was peaceful being out where I couldn’t see civilization.

I got back to the car and decided to cool off a bit, then head back out of the park and head south. I took my time getting out of the park, taking in one last view of the flora and fauna, then headed toward the South Unit. The two units are sixty miles apart along state highways, each with their own look and feel. It’s possible to hike from one end to the other, from what I’m told, but that would take more time, stamina, and equipment than I had.

I pulled into Medora, just outside the south entrance. I saw a place with an upstairs outdoor balcony and decided to stop for some lunch. The waitress was kind and friendly and the sandwich was good, but the bee infestation soured the whole experience for me. After two had flown into my sasparilla bottle and drown, and having chased a few more away, I gave up. I paid my tab and headed to find a hotel for the night. It was a tiny room, but good enough for me and really close to the south entrance. I caught up a little on my blog, then got on the FinTalks call to talk personal finance topics with some friends.

Once the call was over, I drove into the park and stopped at skyline view overlook. The look and feel of the South Unit was a lot closer to civilization than I’d experienced at the North Unit. I had pure joy as I walked down the short path and saw thousands of crickets hopping away from my stride. That’s just purely fun, no matter your age.

I was hoping to drive through the South Unit to get some ideas for hikes tomorrow, but when I got there, I realized that I had overdone it and after a short drive further into part of the park, I turned around and headed back to the hotel.