Shuffling off...

... to buffalo.

Notice, that is buffalo with a lower case "b."

Off to Custer State Park today, with a plan to do the wildlife loop.  Most of the time we ride together, sometimes we each want a different ride... we both did the wildlife loop, an hour or so apart.  Here's my version: plenty of curvy roads on the way there...

Before getting to the park - wild turkeys!

They're big birds - it gets your attention.  Back to the roads...

Once in the park, but before I got to the wildlife loop... buffalo!

On to the wildlife loop...

Good to know; what about when they approach you?  They are huge, and not "big fluffy cows," like some people think.  Yes, they really can be dangerous.

Evidence of a fire in the past few years...

And, a whole lotta nuthin'...

Seriously - no buffalo to be seen.  Even the begging burros seemed to be taking the day off.  I saw an antelope way up on a hill - it looked like a light colored dot.  And then...

People.  That means they are out of their cars looking at wildlife.  WAY far away...

A little closer further down the road...

My only other close-up wildlife encounter made for a butt puckering moment...

Yeah, that was right alongside the road.

From there, I went into Custer for a bite to eat...

Belly full and back to the park.  I decided to ride on Needles Highway (we tend to avoid that ride because of the traffic)...

"Needles" gets its name from the rock spires - apparently early explorers thought they looked like huge needles...

Going through that narrow tunnel is like "a needle's eye"...

The traffic is always crazy right around Needle's Eye - the curves are tight, parking is tight, and everyone wants to get out of their cars to get photos.  When I got to the other side of that narrow "eye," I pulled to the side for a moment to wait for a lull in the traffic on the other side.  Two guys in a Triumph TR-7 stopped on the other side of the road to take a photo of me... "Wow - a Vespa here!  Never thought I'd see that!  I have a Lambretta at home.  That sure looks like fun!"  It was a relatively short conversation, because I got my lull...

Virtually no traffic once away from Needle's Eye, until you get to Sylvan Lake...

Another popular area in the park, with a couple of beaches, picnic areas, water craft rentals, and Sylvan Lake Lodge and General Store.  The highway beyond that opens up to some nice curves and good road...

I rolled past my four "stoned" buddies on the way home...

Didn't stop to visit today, though.  More curvy roads to ride.  I did stop for fuel on the way back to Hart Ranch... it's a new world record!  I went 163.5 miles and used 1.60 gallons of gas... if you don't want to do the math: 102.18 miles per gallon.  I had to look down the filler neck (it's full) and check the numbers again - this is crazy good mileage for a scooter this size.  I'm OK if anyone doesn't want to believe it; I have trouble believing it.  On my scooter forums, most people with Vespa GTS (250 and 300s) are getting mid-60s to mid-70s.  My theory: a lot of today's ride was along the wildlife loop and Needles Highway, where the speed limit is 25 mph.  Most of the curvy stuff has speed limits from 35 to 45 mph.  I may have exceeded that by a mile or two when there was no traffic.  ;-)

Joan's riding experience was pretty similar, since she covered much of the same roads, just a bit later... she didn't see buffalo on the main highway, but had them up close and personal on the wildlife loop.  She saw a couple begging burros.  And, she saw a couple mountain goats.  She didn't ride Needles Highway today, but road some other 35 mph roads.  And, she got 128 miles per gallon with the red PCX - a world record for that bike, too.

We met back home and compared notes.  Sat outside with a big furry cat.  Another lovely day, a bit cooler than yesterday and a bit more traffic.  A fine day for scooting through the Hills.