I have never had any interest in going on safari. I mean, all you do is drive around, look at animals in the distance, take a few pictures, and then go home, no? Big whoop. But then we came to South Dakota and went on our own self-guided mini-safari, and now I'm singing a new tune. We have seen the deer and the antelope play, and we have seem the buffalo roam, and it was fanTAStic.
It was the perfect time of year, at the beginning of low season so we had the parks and roads practically to ourselves, but not so wintery that we froze our butts off in the process. We were also lucky enough to get a few perfect blue-sky days to explore the national grasslands, Badlands and Wind Cave National Parks, and Custer State Park in the state's southwest corner.
We got our first glimpse of wildlife the very first night we spent in the Badlands. These rabbits blend in well with the grass, but, if you look closely, they're all over the campsite, waiting to snatch any stray crumbs that might fall to the ground.
At dusk that night, we saw a herd of mule deer grazing not too far from camp. They were a little skittish, though, so this is the closest we could get.
Our second day took us beyond camp, down dusty gravel roads in search of the buffalo that roam these parts. And prairie dogs. J-P wanted to see prairie dogs. Little did we know, we would have no problem finding prairie dogs.
These friendly, social little buggers live in huge "towns" that often abut the roadways, and they were like a constant and agreeable companion as we drove.
Never far from a prairie dog town though, were foxes and coyotes stalking about.
But the prairie dogs seemed unphased, bleating warning signals to their brethren and darting down their holes at the last minute, unharmed.
As for the buffalo, we didn't have as much luck. The closest we got was this vague lump, which might be either a resting buffalo or just a buffalo-shaped rock. Unclear.
The next day took us into the Black Hills. We hadn't seen any buffalo yet, and were getting a little skeptical that we'd see any. But seconds after leaving the visitor center at Wind Cave National Park, we hit pay dirt.
Along the right-hand side of the road: pronged antelope grazing on the prairie grass.
And, when we looked to the left: an enormous herd of buffalo, slowly making its way south.
They were just as big and hulking as we imagined.
And yet, they seemed like gentle giants as they grazed.
Thrilled at our long-awaited encounter with the buffalo, we realized the only large native species we hadn't yet seen was elk. And then, not ten minutes later, down yet another gravel road, we found our elk. Lots of them.
Who knew that you could go on safari in South Dakota? We certainly didn't. I think South Dakota really needs to work on getting the word out and marketing itself better. Maybe, "Safari in South Dakota: Way cheaper than Africa." Or, "South Dakota and Serengeti both start with 'S'." Or, "South Dakota: Our buffalo can kick your lion's ass." Oh, the possibilities!
________________________________________
