Well, today was the day to take the jeep in to the dealer.
We wanted to see as much of the area as possible before leaving tomorrow, so we
got a reasonably early start and headed to Custer State Park to do the Wildlife
Loop Drive. On the way we stopped at the Jeep dealer to make sure the part was
in. If it wasn’t we could spend more time in the park. Turns out it was in, so
we knew we needed to be back by one o’clock
As we entered the park we stopped at the Game Lodge to see
if they had anything we could give to the burrows if we came upon any. They did
not, but it was good that we stopped since it turned out to be a very nice old
inn. President Coolidge and his family evidently stayed there, so you can see
how old, I mean rustic, it is. If you come this way by car it would be a
beautiful spot to stay. They do have a nice campground in the meadow that would
be where we would stay if we were to return by RV.
The Wildlife Loop lived up to its name. We did see more
antelope, which might have been pronghorn sheep. I am not an expert on this.
Barbara got a chance to photograph another solitary male buffalo, and later we
found out why we were seeing so few bison. It turns out that last weekend was
the annual buffalo roundup, and as we came over a rise we could see that there
were hundreds of buffalo corralled in one area. We need to do some research on
what this is all about, but buffalo burgers have to come from somewhere. It did
not look like a winter holding area, but it might have been a way to be sure
they get enough feed over the winter. They may have been for inspection and
shots before being let out to the larger fenced area. Anyway, Barbara got an up
close look and hundreds of buffalo, large and small.
Barbara got the biggest kick of the trip a few minutes later
when we came across the wild burrows. Jeez, what beggars these guys are! While
the lodge did not have anything, there were carrots at the general store down
the road. Barbara made great friends with a few as she offered up an entire
package of carrots.
We finished our beautiful drive and returned to the dealer
at the appointed hour. While we were at it I had them do the usual service
stuff, and while waiting the service writer came over and asked me to come
speak with the technician. Now that is never good news, right? As it turns, out
the tech was asking why it was I wanted to change the shift cable. He was under
the jeep while it was on the lift. I explained that the problem was at the
other end and he said he understood. I returned to the waiting area and a good
magazine article. A little later the service writer returned and asked me to
follow him. He said the tech wanted to show me something. While I expected the
worst, he wanted to show me that he was able to repair the cable end in a way
that made sense even if it was not what the manual called for, by using a $2 part. Two-dollar part, or $52 part
plus 1.5 hours of labor. Your choice.
Now we are home in our home away from home and Barbara and
Nia just took a shower. That is a neat trick in an RV shower. Glad the door was
closed.
We leave in the morning. Early. In fact aside from the
electrical hook up I am disconnecting everything tonight. Why the hurry?
Weather Bug says rain all day tomorrow, AND a Winter Weather Storm Watch
starting tomorrow evening with high winds and six plus inches of SNOW! He are
heading south to Cheyenne, WY, but the weather there may not be much better. It
is just as far south as we can get in the time we have. Stay tuned!
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