The Prairie and Bison

We drove through a different section of the Badlands today.  This section consisted more of prairies and less of the buttes, pinnacles and spires.  As we drove we encountered acres of land that was inhabited by prairie dogs. It is impossible to get close to them.  As soon as you start moving towards them they start alerting the others with a warning call (it is referred to as a bark) and they all start running towards their burrow.  We also encountered hundreds of bison roaming in the prairies.  Many of the bison were next to the road in which we were traveling.  Some were even on the road and become a pretty substantial road block.  A mature bison bull will weigh about 2000 lbs.  You also need to be careful not to make them angry.  They can run up to 40 mph.  Many of the trails had signs to beware of rattlesnakes.  Luckily we didn't see any snakes.  We did however see pronghorns (some call them antelope) and we saw deer.  On the way back from the prairie we again drove through the rock formations. They are amazing.  Was about 96 degrees outside today.  Came back to the campground to cool off in the pool and it was 88 degrees.  Overall, a great day in the national park.