Wildlife of the West: South Dakota, Wyoming, and the Rocky Mountains

posted on : September 6, 2020

Happy Labor Day Weekend Everybody!!

Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. August turned into a busy month when we decided to go on a last-minute trip for my birthday! ( 38 if anyone is wondering…yikes!) It also became a busy month for me on a personal level. I have been making some surprising new career plans for my future…more on that so stay tuned. But for today I would love to share some of our adventures and pictures from our recent travels with you!

We went to South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. And it was the best trip– one of the best I’ve ever been on! With everything going in our state, country, and the world this year I never expected to have this much fun in 2020. I loooved South Dakota!! Oh my goodness! I could move there: the Black Hills, the buffalo, the wild west history in Deadwood…and the freedom. It felt like I was back in America again! Oh my goodness did it feel like an escape from Oregon and 2020. It was really hard to come home. However, Grizzabella and Dasher were sure happy to see us upon our arrival. Fortunately, they were lucky enough to have a good friend check in on them for a few days, and then my mom came and stayed with them for the rest of the week!

They love Grandma!

Well, Grizzabella and Dasher asked if they could take it over from here. They want to share all these pictures with you and give their opinions on the animals we saw!

Take away, you guys!!

Thanks, Mom!

Grizzabella & Dasher: We thought Mom and Dad’s pictures were really cool!! But first off, we liked this one! It was Mom’s birthday and she looked so happy sitting in the saloon in Deadwood ( she’s been really down lately ).

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Grizzabella: Here is a cool picture of Deadwood. Mom said she really enjoyed all the Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane history in Deadwood. (She loved the movie Calamity Jane with Doris Day when she was a kid.)

Dasher: Devil’s Tower in Wyoming!! Dad really wanted to rock climb this!

Dasher: These are prairie dogs. Dad said they look my cousins. Hmmmm, I don’t see the resemblance. I’m far better looking.

Here’s a picture to prove it:

Grizzabella: Seriously Dasher???

Grizzabella: These are pictures from the Badlands in South Dakota. I can tell Mom feels adventurous and free in this picture. When she sent this to Grandma it made me really miss her.

and it made me miss daddy too…

Dasher: Here is a lone buffalo in the Badlands. I think I can take him. What do you think?

Grizzabella: And some female bighorn sheep hiding in the hills…Hi Ladies!!

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota!!

Dasher: Mount Rushmore is in the Black Hills. Mom said she kept singing the Doris Day song “Take Me Back to the Black Hills” the whole time she was there. She keeps singing it now that she’s home too.

Here’s a recording Mom made for this post of her singing:

Grizzabella & Dasher: We love it when Mommy sings to us!

Dasher: Here are some more buffalo and wild donkeys from Custer State Park in the Black Hills. They also saw deer, antelope, and more prairie dogs! Mom and Dad said this was one of their favorite adventures. It looks really pretty to me. if I were a wild bunny I’d sure love to dash around and burrow in those hills. However, even though I’m a tough little dude…I don’t think I could take on that herd!

Grizzabella: After South Dakota, they headed down to Estes Park, Colorado, and spent a day in Rocky Mountain National Park where they saw a moose, bighorn sheep, and wild elk!!!!