Back home again

Well I am back in Virginia and getting unpacked.  Guess I brought some rain with me as well.  We had a very nice drive back and got a chance to stop in at New River Gorge National River.  My husband came out on Thursday and we were able to spend the day together on Friday in the Badlands.  We saw lots of bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and did some hiking as well.  The temperature was great and it was nice to share a little of what I had been doing on a daily basis with him.  This has been a totally awesome experience.  I will continue to maintain my blogspot for the duration with updates about Ranger Cindy:) and more adventures.  I have a feeling this is just the beginning of more adventures.  Keep safe and I will have some more photostories to share with pictures from the Badlands and our travels.

My time is getting short

I cannot believe my time here at the Badlands is coming to an end.  Days just flew by and there is so much I still want to see and do.  I just now feel like I am finding my way, if that makes sense.  Things are becoming more comfortable and now I am busy with trying to wind things up and get things in order for my leaving.  I am really going to miss the Badlands and the people I have come to know as my extended family. To all of them I have no words to express how wonderful you all have been in your support.  We have laughed and joked about mistakes and you have helped me to grow and find myself as a ranger.  Thank you! You have made this a great experience.
I do have some pictures from last weekend to share from our Heritage Celebration. We had Lakota dancers and music.  It was wonderful. Did I mention that before?
I also am looking forward to this week as the motorcycle rally in Sturgis takes off.  Everyone says it will be an experience to remember and the thunder of the bikes is already being heard in the park.  Overall I have not met anyone that wasn't pleasant thus far.  Some of the attire is interesting and could cause some major road rash if an accident occurred. HA.
I continue to explore the park at different times of the day and it still amazes me.  We had a big storm move through this past week that dropped about an inch in less than an hour. Mind you that may not sound like a whole lot of rain but here it caused the streams to "rage" and when it rains the reds in the buttes come to life.  Clouds also make for the most spectacular sunsets.
Coming back from one of the overlooks the other night I saw those little green beady eyes on the prairie which designate black footed ferrets. COOL. I also saw 4 rattlesnakes on the roadway on my way back to my apartment.  They are neat, really.  Not too concerned about a car coming down the road. 
I am on the lookout for a snake right outside my apartment.  Two of the other rangers saw a 5 foot, yes 5 foot, bull snake right outside my door on their walk over to the visitor center. I got all excited and went right to look, wouldn't you know even though I am sitting on my porch waiting for him, he has not shown his face again.  I would love to get a look at him, if not a good picture.  I am sure he will be out when I least expect him.
Today one of the rangers is acting as a guide to a big PowWow down on the South Unit and that will be very interesting.  It will be a late night but well worth the time and effort.  The more I learn about the history and culture of the Lakota and other local Native Americans, the more intrigued I am. I will get back to you on how our trip goes.

The Ranger Picture

Here they are, the mandatory ranger pictures! I will be writing more about the weekend as I get a chance.  I am getting pictures together of the Heritage Celebration the park had this weekend.  It was wonderful.  The Lakota danced, I danced:) Although it was busy it wa a marvelous chance to work with and get to know some very special people.  My hats off to all that made this event happen.  More about that later...