Wind Cave NP

Wind Cave is the third largest cave in the World with more than 200km of explored tunnels! It is located in the Black Mountains in South Dakota and preserved as a National Park.



It is not only the cave, but the above-ground world is also nice: prairies with prairie dogs, bison, etc. Not bad, really.



The cave was discovered around 1880 when two brothers found a hole in the ground from which wind came out. Some early explorers adventured into this hole with candles and ropes tied in their ankles to see what it was, and they found a huge cave.



This is Devil's Pass,a crack which is as high as a 4-floor building!



Wind Cave is famous for two structures in its walls:

1. Boxwork



2. Pop Corn



These two structures are created through two different geological processes. Explanation here.

Some more boxwork:



And the enjoyable prairies once again.

Fauna in the Dakotas

The Dakotas are a natural paradise for many animals. It is full of fauna and this time of the year is the perfect time to see them in their natural environment, once the summer tourists have left.

The most impressive animal in this area is, in my opinion, the bison. It is a huge animal which looks majestic in these great plains. The best places to spot these are Custer State Park in South Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota.




Another animal which is almost always present in the NPs in the North of the US is the deer. They were everywhere, in any National Park and even out of them.




However, I experienced the most excitement when I first saw prairie dogs! I had completely forgot about these animals and it was really a surprise to see them here. Actually, here is where they are endemic. The Great Plains is their home. They look more like mice/squirrels/rodents. They are called "dogs" because they emit a sound similar to barking when you approach them. Like that, they tell the others a danger is approaching.




My other first was also impressive. I saw a rattle snake!! I have been hoping to see one for a long time, but I hadn't yet. Finally, I saw one at Theodore Roosevelt NP. I took many photos, this is one of the best.



I also saw wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt NP:



And even more familiar animals: a rabbit! First one I see in North America. It was an inhabitant of Badlands NP in SD.



Have a look at these white goats. Quite funny looking... I saw them in Mt Rushmore National Memorial.



And finally, a majestic longhorn goat overlooking the impressive scenery of Badlands NP.

Hitting the road again

Last weekend, it was time to hit the road again and further explore the American West. Little by little, I have been visiting all the states in the West and I have almost got to the Mid-West in my exploration ;) In orange, the states I have visited, 21 now.


This time, I went to South and North Dakota and came back to Wyoming, this time to the Eastern side of that state.


These states are very rural and agriculture looks the only way of subsistence here. No big cities, huge distance and beautiful nature. That's what they have plenty to offer. I have even heard some Americans call this area of the country "fly-over country"! The real thing is it still feels like the Wild West. Look at these buildings!



In the previous photo, you could also see a nice peculiarity about the way they pack cereals and crops. They cut them and pack them in cylindrical shapes! In Spain and other countries in Europe, they are normally packed in parallelepiped shapes (long cubes...). And before collecting them, they lie in the middle of the fields. That creates irregular patterns of cylinders all over the Great Plains.


These are the panels welcoming visitors to the Dakotas:



And this is the car which become my companion in my 1150 miles trip within these states, a nice Mustang.




Hitting the road is always fun. The feeling of freedom it provides is quite unbeatable and to visit National Parks is just amazing. I was camping all the time and did not see a bed in almost 4 days! I slept in my backpacking tent at below zero (C) temperatures! (around 30F) and woke up invariably before sunrise shaking with cold. It may sound crazy but it sounds fun to me... I must be going nuts! ;) or I already went...

Do you know the names?

I am just back from a 3-day roadtrip weekend a bit far from California, but still within the USA. Somebody knows the names of the places in this photos? Give it a try and leave your answer in the comments... For space geeks (not the Moon), for geeks in general (not Mordor) :P

Where and what are these places??

Korea (and 8). Busan

My last stop in Korea was Busan. It was also my reason to go to the country! I attended a conference there, for 5 days. Therefore, I could visit quite some places in that time. Busan is the second biggest city in Korea and has the largest sea port in the country.

The most interesting place in terms of temples was Beomosa (pronunciado Pomosa para los Spanish...), a buddhist temple at the city's outskirts. As usual, it was located in the mountains... Some photos follow:







As I said before, Busan has the largest sea port in Korea, and the consequence is it has a huge fish market. It is very famous for raw fish and gorgeous dinners. I had dinner there with Naoko san and it was amazing how many dishes Korean meals can have!!




This is another temple, out of the western tourist radar, which is becoming more and more famous amongst Asian tourists. It is a temple by the sea, around 15km out of Busan. It was pretty scenic.



In a nearby town, there is a famous market specialized in crab meat. You choose the crab you want to it, they weigh it and cook it for you. Of course, they serve it with tens of side dishes!



Back in Busan, there is a famous beach with nice views over the longest bridge in the city. At night, there is a light show and the color of the bridge lights keeps on changing.



Busan has many beaches, including Haeundae, the most famous beach in Korea. There is where our hotel was. And where my conference was held.



I took a ferry from Haeundae to go to Oryukdo, several rocks/islands coming out of the sea quite abruptly.



This is Busan tower. Even if you do not pay the fee to go up the tower, you can see pretty good views from the entrance, since it is located on top of a hill.



The hippest area in Busan is Nampodong. It is full of shops and places to eat.



Pusan also houses and international film festival (PIFF), which is becoming increasingly important, at least in Asia. The area where it is held is called PIFF square.