Searching for Wildlife

As we readied our iron horse for the day's travels, our fellow campers at the Broken Arrow Horse Camp and Campground in Custer, SD, prepared their steeds for the day's ride.

We didn't know if we shared the same destination plans, but we were all eager to take a path into the Black Hills.

We began our exploration of the area by taking the Stockdale Lake Loop in Custer State Park. The park was named for George A. Custer, who led a scientific army expedition into the Black Hills in 1874.

We were surprised to learn that even though the expedition discovered gold, Custer seemed more interested in the area's natural beauty.

One example of that beauty is Stockdale Lake.

The weather conditions were ideal--deep blue sky, puffy white clouds, and the lake was a beautiful blue.





When we hooked up with the 18-mile Wildlife Loop, the main road through the park, we soon came upon some overlooks.

The views from these overlooks were spectacular. The skies were clear, so the view seemed to go on and on.



As we returned to the truck, we saw these rocks. A quick glance led us to guess that they were quartz.

We don't think these riders had come from the Broken Arrow Horse Camp,...but then you never know.

It was time for lunch, and as yet we had not seen wildlife.