Sioux Falls, SD to Badlands National Park, SD
Our day started off by eating a small breakfast in the hotel
consisting of some cereal and Thomas’ Bagels. Not the most filling or
nutritious of breakfasts, but it was enough to hold us off for the four and a
half hour drive ahead to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The
entire drive was on I-90 W, which took us straight across the vastest farmland
and prairie that I had ever seen. It was almost surreal. There was so much
green, and it was all so uniform with what Drew and I suspect were wheat farms.
Behind some of this green sea were hundreds of wind turbines, which seemed
appropriate considering the consistent 25 mph wind.
After driving for a while, we started seeing rocky outcrops
on the horizon, which ended up being the tips of the Badlands. We got off the
exit, entered through the toll-like pay station for the park fee, and drove on
curvy roads through the massive stone hills to the Ben Reifel Visitor Center
where we mapped out our day and had some lunch. Our campground was down the street
so Drew and I checked it out before proceeding to our hikes for the day. After
parking the car at the trailhead, we climbed a small mountain for about a
quarter mile. This was pretty much the only “hiking” we did today. There was a
great view of the prairie from the top of that difficult “Saddle Pass” trail.
The rest of the “hike” was more of a walk through the fields of the Badlands.
The views were good, however, and to me the tabletop-like stone structures were
the most interesting forms. It was almost as if the ground had just collapsed around
them, creating ninety-degree angled edges to the rest of the ground about ten
feet below. Drew and I discussed being inspired by these forms to build a golf
course. Each hole would consist of island fairways and greens surrounded by
fescue, sand, and rocks off the sides. The rock that makes up the Badlands was
surprisingly soft and brittle. It seemed like the dirt and clay could easily be
carved by wind and rain. While we did feel the high winds, I am glad we did not
feel the rain. That would have been one muddy experience.
Drew standing atop a Badlands mound
The Badlands and prairie
After walking for about three hours, we got back in the car
and decided to drive the Badlands Loop, which is a sixty-mile loop through and
around the park. We were just hoping to see more of the sharp spires and flat
prairie, but we were in for quite a treat. At any sight of wildlife, the cars
on the road stop, admire, and take photos. The first stop was for thousands of
prairie dogs. We saw one, and then another, and then we looked around and saw
the countless mounds of dirt and more prairie dogs. They seemed to be calling
to each other to warn of our approaching, but we still got some great pictures.
The next stop we made was for bighorn sheep lambs. There were about ten that crossed the
road along with six baby sheep lambs. We then turned onto an unpaved road because
someone watching the goats with us said that there had been bison up that road
earlier in the day. Before we knew it we saw four bison about three hundred
yards away from us in the field. They were walking towards the road ahead so we
drove there and waited for them. We ended up being just a few feet away. Those
things are MASSIVE (and they slobber and groan a lot.) The bison used short
wooden poles in the ground to scratch their heads and bellies. While it was
funny, we had to be on our toes incase the beasts became less docile and ran.
Luckily they stayed calm and we drove away with an amazing memory.
Prairie Dog surveying its surrounding
Mother Bighorn Sheep with daughter
Close up of Bison scratching itself on the wooden poles
Bison looking off into Badlands wilderness
After going on the unpaved road for so long, the pavement
was a sight for sore eyes. We drove to Wall, SD, where we finally experienced
Wall Drug Store, which had been advertised at least once a mile for the past
four hundred miles, since Iowa. The store is a huge chachka shop with a
restaurant. We ate in the restaurant, where the food was just okay, and then
drove back to camp. By this point the sun had begun to set, so we had to set up
our tent quickly. As darkness fell, one of the park rangers gave a presentation
about myths and creatures of the Badlands. We learned that the name “Badlands”
has two possible origins. Either the native Lakota Indians called them bad land
because they were impossible to farm, or the early American settlers called
them bad because the difficulty in crossing them to go East-West. While this
was interesting, the presentation was focused towards children, so Drew and I
left early. We went back to our tent, waiting for complete darkness and then
observed the amazing nature that is the universe; there were so many stars, and
the Milky Way was as smooth as ever. It was a sparkling end to our sixth day on
the road.
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