Welcome to "The Castles", part of Slim Buttes in the NW corner of South Dakota...a National Natural Landmark for good reason...
There will be another Thursday "Travelogue Post" per Slim Buttes...this one, however, will; deal with the unique and picturesque central section. There, where Highway 20 runs west of Reva, SD, you will find "The Castles", which has a nice selection of picnic and camping spots, along with ample opportunities to explore. Typical of many areas I visited, there was no one to be seen anywhere when I stopped by.
In that region, the majority of humankind naturally flocks to the better known Black Hills 2 hours to the south, or Roosevelt National Park 2 hours to the north in the SW corner of North Dakota...making Slim Buttes somewhat of an ignored destination.
As a result, the magic of Slim Buttes is often missed...picture driving slowly along a slightly bumpy gravel road for hours...on top of a ridgeline...watching herds of antelope race in front of you...watch thunderstorms boil in the distance...seeing not one other vehicle or person for the myriad hours you are there...and you begin to grasp travel within Slim Buttes....
A dark moment occurred very close to these formations...on September 8, 1876, Chief American Horse was one of several killed in a surprise attack when their peaceful village of 30 or so lodges was raided by U.S. Calvary, desperate for supplies at that time. It was also less than 3 months after the battle of Little Bighorn (not that far away), which added to the calvary's itchy trigger fingers, no doubt.
Knowing that in advance, it was no surprise that I found the above cliff-side vegetation pattern resembling a running horse, which served as the inspiration for a song I wrote in Chief American Horse's honor...
The geology of this region is similar to that found in Badlands National Park, only this area has a good bit more vegetation...or 'hair' as I like to call it. The Castles at Slim Buttes...stick it in your 'destinations' craw if you ever make a trip that direction...you'll be glad you did.
4 comments:
Simply gorgeous and serene, Bob! Added to my "wish list" .....
And I love your description of driving atop the ridgeline!
Do you have a link to your song? Flute music or other?
Awesome pics! But as pics naturally go, they probably don't do justice to what the naked eye and brain see and what the ear hears in-person!
Thanks again for sharing those!
Suzy :)
Bob, I grew up and went to school in Buffalo not far from Reva. Your photography makes me a bit lonely for home. We had school picnics at the picnic grounds you write about.
Ah, Willo, I miss it myself...that whole country is just beautiful. Glad I could bring to you a piece of 'home'. Per Suzy's comment before, no, the full version of my song Chief American Horse isn't on-line, but I've started to post several postcards on YouTube...I posted The Castles one yesterday which has a much shorter version of that song, however:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbN8_f6mzug
Enjoy!
Great photos. I am currently reading the journals of Crook and Finerty re: Custer's Battle, Battle of the Rosebud and the Battle of Slim Buttes. The tens of thousands of people who move to the Rockies do not have an appreciation of these events and that they happened only a little over 100 years ago. Child's picture make it all come alive. Fran Miller, Parker, CO
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