Final Days at the J Bar B Ranch

 Friday 26 September 2025

Jethro has been saving the biggest and best events for the finale of the first annual "J Bar B Ranch get together and hootinanny. (Jethro, you might have to work on that name. Just saying.) Although our group of the original ten is shrinking a little bit now. Debbie flew out on Thursday and Dave and Leslie are leaving Friday. So that leaves 7 hearty souls to continue on.

The first big event was touted as being enormous. It was going to be the 60th Annual Buffalo Round-up at Custer State Park. Jethro said that we had to leave the ranch at 6:30 in the morning. The plan was to take Jethros pickup camper and then meet up with some of his friends and then convoy into the park with them since this was everyone's first rodeo to speak. 

We drove to the town of Custer to meet his friends and then it was a long 2 hour drive into the park to the viewing area. Normally it would not be such a long drive but can you imagine 20 thousand people all wanting to go to the same area all at once. Instant gridlock traffic. Stop and go for hours. What made it worse was having my morning coffee filling up my bladder. Not a fun drive at all.

We eventually made it to the parking lot and thank the maker there was a porta potty pretty close. A sigh of relief could be heard all across the park. Jethro's friends set up tables and chairs for having some breakfast and drinks. (Go figure.) Mimosas, Bloody Mary's and Screwdrivers. We relaxed a little until it was time to take a shuttle bus to the viewing areas. Once there we walked through a sea of humanity to find the perfect spot to see the buffalo come in. The group quickly threaded themselves through the crowd leaving the two cripples behind as usual. So Harry and myself were left standing on a different hillside. We stood there for an hour waiting.

A crowd of people.

More people.

And more people. Across the way was another viewing area and the spot circled is where the SD Governor was watching.

I really never thought in my entire life that I would be sitting on a hillside with 20 thousand other people trying to get a glimpse at a herd of buffalo, but here I was. In fact on our way to the black hills we passed two big herds of buffalo just west of Pierre SD. Just standing by the road as we drove by.

This is what I remember of the buffalo round-up.

Finally they were herded past the throngs of people as cheers erupted for the buffalo. (Not kidding about that).

The cowboys herded the buffalo around that far hill and into a pasture just below us. It took 15 minutes. Now 20 thousand people were all wanting to leave at the same time. So we went back to the campers and here is the brilliant part. We sat around and had lunch and cocktails until the crowds finally started to thin out. We then packed into the RV and started the two hour drive back home. There was a big vendor show that we stopped at to look around. We found more people there.

Tired, we piled back into the RV and headed back to the ranch. Alcohol was provided in hopes of perking people up again but it was a rather long day. Harry and Vicki were leaving in the morning which meant there were only 5 left now. Also there was some confusion about when checkout actually was. Jethro was saying that it was Saturday but then Bambi wanted us to stay another week. Steve was leaving on Sunday?

Saturday 27 September 2025

Harry and Vicki were packing up to leave that morning. Jethro was running around telling the rest of us "See, see. They know when to leave. Why aren't you guys leaving also?" he said as pork rinds were flying out of his mouth. More goodbyes were said as we watched them drive away. We all vowed to meet back here in a year. I think I heard Jethro screaming "NO, NO!" as Bambi pushed him inside the house.

He finally came back out and said "since you 3 are still here, we can go into Rapid and I can show you the Prepper Show that's in town. Then you can see what all of us South Dakotans do in our free time." I had to Google what a prepper was because it was entirely new to me.

After that I googled the show itself and what came up did look kind of interesting.

So off to Rapid we went with high hopes of finding us some prepper stuff. I made the comment that I saw on the Facebook admission prices were lowered from 10 to 5 dollars a person. Sweet. We paid our money and walked in to this.

This does not look like the picture they put out on the Facebook. What a bust. I said to Gladys that we need to pack up and leave tomorrow if this is the best they can do. I looked over at Jethro and he was smiling from ear to ear. I think that was his plan from the beginning.

Sunday 28 September 2025

We packed up and were ready to leave because our adventure was going to continue and it was going to be epic. We said our goodbyes, to Jethro, Bambi and Steve. (Why does Steve get to stay?) Hugs all around from everyone. Bambi whispered in my ear, rather pleaded "Don't leave, please don't leave. I want to smell normal people that don't smell of bourbon and pork rinds. I beg of you." 

We vowed to come back next year for the second annual "J Bar B Ranch get together and hootinanny."

On a more personal note. I make fun of Jim and Barb(mostly Jim) but they know that I am only kidding. We love them like family and we wanted to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for inviting us out for an entire week of friendship and fun and also great memories that we all shared. Barb made some amazing meals for all of us and Jim kept us entertained which I am sure was difficult at best. I almost feel sad for winning so much of their money. We can't wait to do it again next year.

Our adventure continues.