It was a little cooler overnight! I woke with cold feet, remembering way too late that I did in fact, pack appropriately for this. By 4:30 AM I was up and at 'em. Foggy headed, disheveled and disorganized being the true description of my situation. The sky was clear and sunrise (pre-sunrise) was phenomenal ... but I really couldn't figure out which overlook and view was right or where to train my camera.
I walked, sat, enjoyed the changing light and little skilled photography to show for it. That's life sometimes!
The universe was telling me it was time to make coffee, eat Lucky Charms with raspberries and take time to pull myself together - So I did.
The universe was also telling me not to ignore that crawly feeling on my neck. At 8:58 AM I pulled a lively (but still hungry?) tick off my collar and released him back into the wilds. Guessing he was an American dog tick... I did a quick interwebs search of risk factors associated with ticks out here. After all, I still had a lot of "walking through the weeds" planned.
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Lyme Disease (more likely from a deer tick)
- Tularemia
- Anaplasmosis - unlikely
- Ehrlichiosis
NICE! Ticky was all I thought I took away from a disappointing photoshoot but if I don't end up needing a dose of tetracycline, then I guess it's not a big deal. And I learned a little something.
Plus, there is always someone less fortunate and today that award goes to the hundreds of swallows frantically regurgitating white clay into pretty mud nests. Trouble is they picked a shelter located at the fossil-find area. Every morning around 8 AM a ranger stops by and uses a shovel to wipe off the half-built nests and then power washes the clay evidence so the shelter goes back to being nest-free... for a while. Truthfully, before he has even left the parking lot, they're coughing up more mud and ... it will be groundhog day again tomorrow.
Yesterday I felt devastated for them. Today it seemed the ranger and birds were evenly matched and it was hard to guess who was winning the battle of wits. I took their pictures and called it good.
What a mess! LOL
I bopped around for a bit then used the Visitor Center washroom and headed west. It was time to see what WIND CAVE National Park offered.
Obviously more prairie dog towns - because South Dakota does seem to hold them up with a level of pride only previously witnessed for Simba in The Lion King!
And for sure there were bison... But could they beat the running and dust bathing guys from earlier today?
A ranger told me to wait a couple of hours for some heat to dissipate before completing the wildlife loop by car - increase my chances of seeing animals doing anything at all. Rumor has it badgers and coyotes are possible. We'll see. In the meantime, a good chance to find shade, make a sandwich and catch up on journaling.
I literally slept on the side of this road tonight, having hit a wall (mentally, not literally) around 9 PM while driving the 7-11 Rd just outside Wind Cave. I could get used to sleeping near moo-ing cows and watching the light fade from my wee cot in the 4-runner!
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