Day 54 - Friday - Animals, Pizza and Spelling Bee
On our last full day in Custer, we spent the morning making
early preparations for departure tomorrow and then returned to Wind
Cave National Park. We had seen some interesting displays about
the Black Footed Ferret and its relationship to the prairie dog and buffalo,
which had info I want to use in an article I'm planning on using, so I took
photos of the displays.
We then once again drove the Wildlife
Loop Road, which was at first disappointing as the
animals were nowhere to be seen. We've
come to the conclusion that the term "wildlife viewing area" refers
to an area where wildlife can view humans, not the reverse. We did see the begging burros who were out to
get their carrots and other vegetables from the tourists. After passing the Visitor
Center we found the bison herd, who
had migrated north from where we saw them yesterday. They were quite a way off the road and a lot
of people were stopped there, so we didn't spend much time with them!
We returned to Custer and had dinner in a pizza restaurant
close to the park. We'd seen it several times
and it was convenient. It also turned
out to be a great choice - good thick crust, lots of cheese and various meats,
just the way we like it. After eating it
was time for our second visit to the Black Hills Playhouse. Tonight was opening night of The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee, a Tony award winning musical we first saw in San
Diego and which I subsequently directed while teaching
High School drama in New Zealand. We both love the play, which features 6
quirky adolescents competing for the right to represent their county in the
National Spelling Bee. The event is
administered by 3 equally quirky adults.
It not only has memorable music but a great plot line, as each of the
individuals comes to terms with their problems.
The play also involves audience "volunteers" who
join the actors onstage and have to spell words until they are - inevitably -
eliminated. They typically pick people
who are well known in the community and have a good sense of humor - in my show
we used a teacher and the brother of one of the cast members, among others - so
although I chatted with one of the people looking for volunteers I didn't offer
my services. Since I know the spelling
of most of the weird words used in the show I might have given them a problem,
but I know the script provides a solution to dealing with people like me!
Anyway, we really enjoyed seeing the show again and since it
was first night, we were invited to a reception after the show and met some of
the cast and crew, including the set designer who had succeeded in transforming
the theater into a high school auditorium.
On the drive home in the dark, we spotted an elk - the one
animal we hadn't seen so far. A great
ending to 3 great weeks in Custer, but now it's time to head north.
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