I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day. The sun was coming up right over Hwy 16A, Custer’s main drag. In hindsight, I should have parked, and taken a shot from the middle of the street. It’s a three stoplight town and they all flash at night. At 5:45A, there was no traffic.
A quick stop at Sylvan Lake for the reflections...
The Pinnacles Highway this time of the morning was quiet with no traffic. Remember the Needles Eye Tunnel? There's a small parking area on the west side of the tunnel by the Needles Eye...
On the eastern side of the tunnel, I saw tail lights and what looked to be large dogs inside the tunnel. A closer inspection revealed something quite different, mountain goats licking the morning dew off the tunnel walls. A park staffer told me it's the minerals in the rock that give the dew a little extra flavor.
A park service vehicle approached from the other side. The trick to get through is to bang on the side of the car and make a lot of noise. As soon as he passed through, they started back into the tunnel.
After trying his trick, I made it through to the other side. Let's face it, I wasn't going to wait all morning. Besides, the lighting would be better shooting the other way. Once I was through, two went right back into the tunnel.
The park service guy said the baby goat was two weeks old. It decided to go off exploring. It's mother kept a watchful eye...
Then her kid decided it wanted to climb...
And the luckiest shot of the trip...
Back on Pinnacles Highway...
Eventually, I did make it around to the outcropping. The Lovers Leap story is just as you might suspect. Two feuding native-american tribes and a young couple who refuse to let it come between them. Legend has it they leapt off the cliff together to avoid being separated.
On the far ridge, you can even seen another herd of mountain goats...
Fifteen minutes from the car and I pause to listen to a familiar sound, the light patter of rain, and I do mean light. The camera went into the pack as a precaution. The forecast had called for heavy weather again. The good news, the heavier rain didn’t start until I was in the car and it didn’t last more than a few minutes. This wasn't the last time the weather gods smiled upon me.
Custer State Park has a herd of buffalo that wander the grounds. In the visitors center, they have a large map showing the last reported locations of the herds. The big loop through the park is in fact named Wildlife Loop Road. Occasionally they even cause traffic jams along the road. Just not today.
To find the herd, you sometimes need to drive the internal loop road. It's dirt and gravel and well maintained. I even saw a few people driving it in smaller sedans.
On the back end of the park’s loop road is the three mile Prairie Trail. It’s a relatively flat trail through fields. There's even a stretch where buffalo are occasional seen, just not today. From the trail…
Through that gate, the trail takes a sharp left. But, when I heard prairie dogs barking, I took a right. The trail to the right abruptly ends atop a rock ledge, perhaps fifteen feet above the ground. The ledge overlooks a prairie dog town. Even at this distance, my presence was disturbing them. So, I took a few shots and moved on.
There was one stop left to make, the Mount Coolidge Fire Tower. A spiraling road leads right up to the base. Decent views, too, even with all the cell phone tower support cables.
Not a bad way to end the day.
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