The Bad Lands are beautiful but they are also cruel and and unpredictable. The weather here is worse than Colorado , from a forcasters point of view. My truck is packed with everything from tank tops to ski gloves - and I have used it all. The land is rough. Al and I were hiking out from the road the other day and we came upon this huge hole....25 feet deep and 6 feet diameter. Al and I just looked at each other with this look on our faces. We both knew that a hole like this could easily swallow a horse and rider. As we kept hiking down the smell of death came to my nose and I knew we were close to a rotting carcass. Sure enough we stumbled upon this cow elk who's luck ended sometime this spring. She had fallen into a smaller hole and was unable to escape the slick clay so here she died. Again we both looked at each other - no words needed to be said. From here on out, we watched our step on the gumbo buttes. You never know where a sink hole may lie beneath your feet.
This is Grey Ghost, a more spanish type stallion who runs with two mares -> Ginger and Ruby, who are more thoroughbred looking
The Scoria rock is what makes this landscape glow after a thunderstorm or during sunset. In the hills are lignite coal (the back lines that run through the soil) when grass fires or lighting struck, these coal veins would catch fire and burn for years, baking the clay around it, turning it red in color.
Big ol bully having a nice morning nap against the gumbo.
Mama turkey and her brood. I have seen many Toms on my way to work but this was the first hen I have seen with babies. They are following her up the hill in the next photo and to my amazement, can fly into trees at this young age.
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