Sturgis
Rally at Wind Cave
Prairie
dogs on the Sturgis Rally Ride
As you continue this ride at the Sturgis Rally you
can get in some good wildlife watching in Wind Cave
National Park and nearby Custer State Park.
Wind Cave has lots of prairie dogs, buffalo, antelope
and raptors flying about. The hawks and eagles often
key in on the prairie dogs towns, which are an important
part of the ecosystem. There are lots of places you
can pull off, park your bike, and look around.
An
occasional rattlesnake at the Sturgis Rally
The
prairie dog colonies are also good place for rattlesnakes
at the Sturgis Rally. They like to use the prairie
dog holes.
The deer in the campground by headquarters are tame.
Some people feed them.
Wind Cave itself is one of the best caves in the country.
Right now it is the third longest cave in North America.
On the cave tour, which is reasonably priced, you'll
go down on an elevator into the depths and then be
guided on a walking tour by a cave guide.
60-degree
air conditioning at the Sturgis Rally
If
you really want to hit it, ask about the spelunking
tour where you'll do a lot of crawling and exploring
into places that only a few people can go to.
The air temperature is under 60 degrees in the cave.
It's Nature's air conditioning.
Wind Cave also has a good population of elk roaming
about. You probably won't see any, since they're wild
and wary. August is just a little early for the fall
mating season when the bull elk bugle across the mountains
to attract cows.
Wimpy
elk bugling at the Sturgis Rally
The
bugling peak occurs during September. So give a listen
late in the evening. You just might hear a bit of
bugling in August. The sound of bull elk bugling is
always amusing to first-timers.
You would never guess the sound emanates from a big
bull elk. It's a whistling sound that eerily penetrates
the valleys and draws of these mountains.
Sturgis
Rally tip - don't try to Buffalo these Critters
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