Reporting to you live from 'Possum Holler Valley, this is Nature Girl. Unfortunately, Nature Boy was unable to join me tonight in the report of our trip in South Dakota during the summer of 2009.
First of all, you may ask "Who are 'Nature Girl' and 'Nature Boy'?" I personally am Nature Girl, and Nature Boy is my stepdad, Fred. On our various trips, we are accompanied by my mother, Janet. That's what makes this a family vacation. Secondly, many individuals would wonder how you receive the title of "Nature Girl/Boy." Nature Boy gained his reputation through his love and knowledge of the outdoors, I for my own identification abilities and learned knowledge from Nature Boy.
When the Nature Entourage had the chance to explore the various national and state parks in South Dakota, we willingly accepted. From Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore, we experienced some of the best moments Nature Girl and Boy could ask for.
While visiting Custer State Park, we saw picturesque lakes reflecting the evergreen trees, tall cliffs, and bright blue sky (photo). Everywhere you looked, there was a new and exhilarating sight. If you were lucky, you could see the unforgettable Mount Rushmore between trees, off in the distance. But the landscape was just half of the beauty. Wild buffalo roamed the wide open prairie fields, dotted with mounds of dirt. If you peered closely, you could see an animal fleeting in and out of the mounds; prairie dogs. Young foals and their mothers followed their leader in the many herds of wild burros. I, Nature Girl myself, was able to stroke the face of a mare and her foal, animals deemed to be wild (photo). The wildlife was not yet complete without the athletic pronghorn antelope. Their speed made them hard to see at times, but once again Nature Boy and myself were graced with the ability to come oh so close to their careful selves (photo).
Mount Rushmore was next on the list. The tall mountain carved with the faces of four United States presidents was definitely a sight to see. The skill needed to complete such a task was unreal when viewing the masterpiece. In that beautiful place, the entourage was able to see a young mountain goat and its mother. So many animals!
In addition to these places, we also went to the Badlands where we learned about Black Footed Ferrets (unfortunately, we did not get to see one) and its beautiful weathered land, Wind Cave which exhibits a rare formation called boxite, Jewel Cave where the cave was closed but we could walk various trails, the Black Hills with more trails, Devil's Tower with an interesting story found in Wyoming, and finally Minuteman Missile Historical Site where we learned about the running of a missile location. All in all, it made out for a wonderful exploration of a very different terrain full of wildlife and beauty. This area has deemed the approval of Nature Boy and Nature Girl.
That is all with tonight's report on Nature Channel with Nature Girl and Nature Boy. Thank you for listening!
All locations are underlined.
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