Day 13 Buffalo

Saturday, July 8

We went right to Custer State Park, where Will got quite excited after being told we would see burros among the wildlife at the park. (We had seen some the day before also.) He said, “We’re putting our place up for sale when we get home. I want a place where I can have a burro!” You heard it here first.

I requested a stop to photograph wildflowers, and became aware of some commotion behind me in the car. No one seemed to want me to know what happened, but apparently Eric, who was in the front, managed to knock my coffee out of the cupholder as he reached back . (I assume he was trying to give his brother a loving pat.) They did a good job of cleaning it off my seat and the floor. We had a little more excitement when Will sent a hornet out the front window to the back where I sat, but I managed to back hand it out the window.

We had a wonderful lunch buffet at the State Game Lodge, a historic building that Calvin Coolidge called his summer White House. The buffalo stew was delicious, and there was even berry and apple pie for dessert.

We saw beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife again, but we were about to leave the park and still hadn’t seen any burros. I wasn’t sure Will would allow us to leave with that desire unfulfilled, but fortunately, they showed up near the end. There were two babies that were very cute. I had to dash back to the car and roll up the window because one wanted to get a bit too friendly with me. My guys thought that was funny. I have a picture of the boys with the burros, but I can't get it to load.

Eric drove most of the day, and Nick and I chuckle and look at each other and shake our heads as we listen to their conversations. Although I did learn a lot about the difference between mules, donkeys, and horses. I also learned about DNA when Eric said, “This road is much windier than the map showed – perhaps a bit like DNA – but not really.” So I had to ask what he meant. Then they were talking about the power of the mind over the body, and regurgitation was mentioned. Will said he hadn’t done it since he was 14. Eric said, “I got you beat.” Will looked at him, speechless for a moment. “How?” “I haven’t done it since I was 11!”

We ended up in Buffalo for the night. The desk clerk was exceptionally bright. I told her we had two adults and two teenagers, and she said, "So they're both over 12?" Here's your sign. As we finished getting registered, a gentleman came up and asked for clean sheets. He had pulled them back and it was obvious they were dirty. I was afraid I was going to be sick. We went to our room, turned on the lights, pulled back the sheets, and were satisfied that they were crisp and clean. Gotta love these motels.