Kibitka Escape: Custer State Park

25-28 September 2013

True to our decision made last year at the Black Hills, we did return this year and timed it for the annual Buffalo Roundup. Last year we checked out every campground available in Custer State Park, so we knew exactly which one to choose this time around--Stockade Lake Campground North. We think it is the nicest campground in the entire park. I was determined to have some down time on this little trip rather than chase around playing tourist too much. All worked out perfectly for that goal. Thursday we relaxed, shopped for T-shirts for the grandkids in the Legion Lake store, and took a walk around Legion Lake. We were surprised how uninhabited and peaceful the Legion Lake area was, despite the buffalo roundup which would the next day attract something like 14,000 people.

Later that afternoon we thoroughly enjoyed meeting another Escape 19 couple, whom we had met on the Escape Forum—Paul and Janet and their son Peter from Wisconsin, also camping at Stockade North. Janet offered us wine while we toured their 19 and talked camper details. How nice! Their 19 is from 2010 and looks as good as new. It is for sale since they now have a 21 on order. For the first time we have met somebody who keeps their camper as tidy as we like to keep ours.

Thursday evening we had a campfire using scavenged wood from the park. We also cooked hamburgers over the fire, and this gave Great Husband a chance to get disgruntled over the smoky coals and his attempt at grilling. In the end, the food turned out fine but the process did include rinsing off the meat and some griping by the grillmaster!

Friday we were determined not to get swept up in buffalo roundup mania, which for many people involves heading toward the viewing points at 4:00 a.m. We decided this was lunacy and rolled out of bed around 5:30, not too hard for us, and had our normal cooked breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and granola on top. We left the campground at 6:30 a.m., heading for the south viewing area. By then the sun was up and the drive was spectacularly beautiful. We got to see some cowboys who were already rounding up a few bison to steer them in the desired direction. Traffic really wasn’t too bad at all, other than one or two full stops for 5 or 10 minutes each, which we really didn’t mind due to the beautiful views. Otherwise, the traffic moved at a moderate pace the whole way to the parking area, and we had no complaints about the two-hour drive. Well-chilled volunteers directed the filling of the parking field.

Nobody in that crowd was there to participate in a beauty contest, that’s for sure. We were all bundled up in layers of sweatshirts and coats. We saw one insane woman with bare feet and flip-flops, but she did have gloves on. It was a picturesque group, many with the weathered faces that I think come from living out west in the dry and windy climate. But others came from all over the United States for this event. The earliest arrivals had their bag chairs set up against the fence to claim what they thought would be the best viewing. We were several rows back from the fence, but in the end did not have anything to regret in this regard.

We barely sat down, but instead spent our time chatting with an amiable couple (Ken and Janet) from the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. The two-hour wait until the bison appeared on the distant ridge went very quickly while we talked it up. Great Husband had his binoculars, and for the first time ever, I found binoculars to be advantageous instead of blurry and disorienting. As the bison ran, we followed along, never staying at one point very long. The most entertaining bison action was from two very independent ones who decided to turn upstream and go against the general tide. A cowboy chased one down to the delight of the crowd. The other wayward bison escaped without ever being caught, which was also a fun turn of events, worthy of cheers.

The roundup of the bison took only about an hour. Then Great Husband and I went to have lunch in the car, out of the cold. Shuttles were taking visitors down to the corral, and we had a great time down there after lunch. We sat on covered bleachers with some truly hilarious people sitting behind us! They were from Spokane and just too full of clever commentary for me to even describe! The bison calves were being split off and sent for branding. We could see the smoke and smell the burning, but we didn’t hear any bellering. The older cows headed down another set of chutes, being checked for pregnancy and given inoculations. The staff considered each animal while her head was trapped in the headgate, and after calling out the number from her ear tag, he shouted either “Sale!” or “Herd!” and then released her toward the appropriate corral to match her destiny. The bison to be sold will be auctioned off in November.

After all the bison fun, we drove to Bluebell Campground and stopped to introduce ourselves to Bob and Linda from Indiana, another couple we encountered on the Escape Forum in advance of this trip. Their Escape 19 is a 2013, so this gave us a chance to see in short order the types of changes that have been made to the 19s in the last few years.

Saturday there was a big arts and crafts fair in Custer State Park. We wandered through all the booths, easily resisting any purchases, even though there was a nice variety of stuff available. I thought Great Husband came up with the line of the day when he said the merchandise reminded him of that song from “Beauty and the Beast” about the brute Gaston: “He uses antlers in all of his decorating.”

Two activities at the festival were the most fun for us—watching Indian dancers and sitting in on an auction of art. It was so fascinating to listen to the auctioneer as he tried to move the prices up. Being an artist myself, I found some of his descriptions of the art and the likelihood of increasing value over time just laughable. Good entertainment, however!