Wind Cave National Park - South Dakota
We didn’t make it to Jewel Cave but we did take the time to take a tour at Wind Cave National Park. Before our tour started we walked around above the cave a bit and I poked my nose in some flowers while some birds tried to poo on me. I don’t have a clue what kind of South Dakota birds these were, but my guess is an Oriole and a Warbler?
This reminds me of adeformed orange sea turtle, saying hi, but. . .
It’s just some sort of evergreen eating fungus.
Yellow Warbler (That was my guess but thanx for confirming it Pamela)
Yellow-breasted Chat
I took a few photos in the cave just for practice. But really, a cave, in photos, just seems like a rock. Still, I’ll share a few.
Wind Cave is extremely long, miles of maze but we just went through a portion of it. It doesn’t have stalagmites or stalactites but it does have lots of a formation called boxwork.
I think our guide called these some kind of popcorn.
By the way this area shines I think there’s gold in that there cave.
Some sort of teeth formation, sabertooth, tiger tooth, something.
Do you have any idea how we got into and out of the cave? Take a guess. It is two different ways. One way to get in and another way to get out.
Cool, a Buffalo. What?! You wanna go closer?
Well this is as close as I get after I heard that buffalo can run up to 35 mph. See that gleam in his eye? And he has teeth in that open mouth and I hear he bites too. He looks like he might get up soon, see ya!
UPDATE: The entrance to Wind Cave is a revolving door, believe it or not. Then we descended stairs and wound around. Right before we exited the cave we were taken to an elevator. And to get out we rode the elevator up, exited a small building and walked up a slight hill to the visitor's center and parking area.
They're all gorgeous, but the flowers are my favorite. :)
I've only seen a gleam in a buffalo's eye off the bike trail in London, WI.
Maybe because it knew it was being grown for meat. I'd gleam too. Mostly,
they're really gentle. That fungus does look like a creature of some type.
Did you have to crawl in and climb out?
Love the photos. The fungus had me going. I was sitting her squinting,
trying to make it out. The shots inside the gave are great.
Gorgeous photos, as usual. I think you nailed the bird identification. My
favorite pic was the fungus. We toured Howe Cavern in New York and it was
so cool. My photos of that are posted at
http://findingbeautyinmosteveryday.blogspot.com/2008/05/howe-goes-it.html!
Hard to photograph rock formations!!
Yellow Warbler and Black Headed Grosbeak.
ps. did you climb down and then up... like a ladder?
These were fun, beautiful shots. I'm never ceased to amaze the wonders of
a good nature shot!
We visited Lehman Cave at Great Basin Nat'l Park last November and it also
has the popcorn formation. Flash photography was not allowed, but some of
it was lit up. Now I have to go see the rest of your trip, as I haven't
been by for a while.
What a feast of color and textures! That first flower looks a bit like a
bird coming in for an unsuspecting photographer.
I soooooooooo see the sea turtle!!! That is soooooooooooooooo cool!!!! I
love it!!!!!!