Black Hills

Chris and Alexia accompanied me on a work trip to the southern Black Hills in July. Alexia got her free ice water at Wall Drug and made friends with a large scary looking cowboy. They trekked around in the field with me and my crew the first day botanizing and Lexi did lots of bug catching. Grasshoppers were everywhere and she thought it was great fun to chase them. TNC's Whitney preserve now has a beautiful bunkhouse for fieldwork and the preserve has some beautiful views. We took a night drive to see wildlife around Wind Cave National Park and had some good success. Lexi got to see bison, elk, mule deer, coyote, prairie dogs, burrowing owls and pronghorn. Wind Cave has some very beautiful grasslands. Chris and Lexi also took one of the cave tours at Wind Cave. She was a little nervous at first but couldn't stop talking about it for days afterward. I think the bison were the biggest hit though. It was the beginning of mating season and the bulls were quite feisty and fun to watch with the rest of the females and fighting each other.  It is nice to be within a relatively easy driving distance from such a beautiful landscape.