The word for the day is, “Tatanka,” the Indian word for buffalo. We’ve loaded up, cameras ready to take in the sites of the Black Hills. It abounds with astounding fetes of mankind- Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, just to name two. We’re both overwhelmed by the perseverance, tenacity and vision of the sculptors. Gutzon Borglum envisioned a majestic ode to American birth, growth, preservation & development, as signified in the faces of four great leaders. The sculptor died before the project was finished. Similarly, work on the gargantuan Crazy Horse Memorial has outlived its designer and continues slowly with just his 87 foot head teased out of stone.
But the
majestic Tatanka are what leave us breathless. Custer State Park is home to
nearly 1,500 head of buffalo- many who weigh as much as a ton. Once, more than
a million roamed the continent but they were nearly hunted to extinction. At
Custer, they feed alongside our SUV, crunching grass loudly, enjoying the sunny
weather and nursing their offspring.
It’s odd to know that if one gets cranky, he could take us on. Imagine what they could do to the many
motorcyclists down visiting from Sturgis.
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