On trips to Michigan in late September and the Southwest in mid-October, we stopped over in the Black Hills for a few days. There is a new Bison Center at Custer State Park, and we got there the day after the annual roundup. Although I would like to attend the event some year to see the thundering herd, I'm also not fond of crowds.

No bighorn sheep seen in either the Badlands or the Black Hills, but there's always bison, pronghorns and prairie dogs. We drove the Needles Highway both trips. Parking areas were crowded the day after the roundup, but three weeks later we managed to find a spot and get a photo of the Needle's Eye for the first time since 2002. It hasn't changed much but my camera has gotten better.

Needle's Eye 2023

Needle's Eye 2002