Today was a bittersweet day. Annie and Faith had to fly home, marking the end of their out west trip. To make the most of the morning, we got up early and headed back to the loop to find the burros. During our jeep trip, our guide mentioned that at the end of each year, the park sells the baby burros for $50. Lainey exclaimed, “I have $50!” and then spent the rest of the trip endlessly talking about how she was going to get a pet donkey and keep it in her room—much to Faith’s dismay.
Finding the burros wasn’t guaranteed. We first went to the spot where we had seen them on the jeep tour, but they weren’t there. Next, we headed to the visitor center to learn where they had last been reported. When we arrived at that location, still no burros. We were just about to give up when we rounded a corner and saw a handful of cars—and a handful of burros. Mom, Annie, and the kids jumped out while I parked the car. During that time, they were able to pet the burros, see the babies, and even offer them carrots and apples. Lainey (and Annie) were in heaven. It was hard to get them back in the car.
Once we’d had our burro fix, we headed north to the famous Deadwood. On the ride, our guide “Bill” regaled us with stories of the town, its outlaws, characters, and current sights to see. While we’d heard of Deadwood and Wild Bill, we didn’t know much else. Even before arriving, Annie and I had plans to watch the HBO show, learn more about Calamity Jane, and stay at the Bullock Hotel. Our time was short, but we managed to visit Saloon No. 10, eat lunch, shop, and stop by the cemetery.
The goal at the cemetery was to see the graves of Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and Potato Creek Johnny. While we found those “celebrities,” we were also treated to a fitting surprise: a small herd of big horn sheep. As we walked to an overlook of Deadwood, they were resting between gravestones. It felt poetic—when we entered Yellowstone at the start of our trip, we saw big horn sheep fighting; now, as we were leaving this part of our journey, we saw them peacefully sitting. It’s a moment we’ll never forget.
After leaving the cemetery, we drove about an hour to Rapid City to say goodbye to Faith and Annie. There were hugs, tears, and goodbyes, then a quick rearranging of luggage before we set off again. Next stop for the remaining explorers: Badlands National Park!
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