Buffalo Gap National Grassland
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In 2004, I was facing a difficult time at work. It was very stressful, with very aggressive timelines for projects. What I needed was an outdoor trip. At this time, I became aware of the national grasslands. These were created during the 1930’s dust bowl to conserve the arid, windswept ground in the northwest and western Midwest. They are administered as part of the National Forest Service, and lease this grazing land to ranchers.
I chose Buffalo Gap National Grassland, which lies south of Badlands National Park. Within Buffalo Gap, I started next to Limestone Butte Reservoir with the nearby Limestone Butte, a 3700’ plateau overlooking the reservoir. I left Chicago and drove through the night. After checking into the forest service office, I left for the reservoir. I arrived just prior to nightfall with just enough time to set up my tent inside the reservoir enclosure. The next morning I attempted to draw water from the reservoir, but the water had so much fine silt that it looked like a gray milkshake. So, the morning of Day 2 I went to a gas station and bought 3-4 gallons of water and put them into the trunk of my car. Since the reservoir was no longer essential to my stay, I relocated my tent to the top of the butte. The view across the horizon was amazing! Unfortunately, it started raining - all day and into the night. Most of the day was spent in my tent.
The next day it continued raining. During a break in the rain, I elected to return to my car and replenish my water supply. When I approached my car, I surprisingly observed 20-30 cows around my car. What were they doing there? As I continued to approach, they rapidly departed. I’ve never seen cows run. Once I came near my car I understood the attraction. The water that adhered to the metal skin and glass was readily available water to the cows. They were licking the vehicle. So all over my car were smeared, muddy cow licks. The rain again resumed and I was stuck in my tent again. The next morning (day 4) the rain was over. After breakfast with another great view, I returned to my muddy vehicle and made the long drive back to Chicago.