The Badlands

What a wonderful day to tour the badlands in South Dakota.  A few years ago we planned to visit here, but it was about 106 degrees so we changed plans and went due East to Rocky Mountain National Park (here’s my blog post from 2007). So, we were worried a few days ago when a fellow traveler in Yellowstone told us that their family had a miserable time at Badlands due to the heat. 

However, today was perfect.  It was occasionally cloudy, a light breeze and a high near 90.  In other words, perfect.

We left Rapid City for Wall, SD around 11am, and spent an hour or so at Wall Drug Store.  What a fun place.

I have way too many photos to post them all, so here are a few funny moments.

We all tried to read this sign, but only Marcus got it.  I guess it helps to be a 1st grade reader sometimes (the last letter is a backwards “S”).

The kids were officially introduced to the “Jackelope” on this trip.

For once, I was the Chief (no offense, Dad).

We always think of Matt as “Malibu Matthew” but clearly, he’d be a good cowboy too…

Then we headed out to the Badlands National Park.  I find that this park is one few people are familiar with, but its one of my favorites. Even as a kid when I first made this trip to the great western national parks, the Badlands was one of my favorites.

The stark contrast between the open, green prairies and the bone dry, colorful, desert hills of the Badlands is one of the starkest in North America.

As you can see, the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands seems to go on forever.  It’s easy here to imagine the Lakota and European settlers fighting over this open, fertile land.

Again, the light was better on the “leaving” side of the sign, so on our way into the park, we posed for this photo.

The kids and I loved climbing around on the hills of the Badlands.  Michelle could only watch so much of it, then she had to turn away out of nervous concern over everyone’s safety.  Fortunately, she got some good photos first.

  

We are all trying to create something artistic this year to express our own experience with the sights, sounds, and smells of the west. It can be poetry, haikus, drawings…whatever.  We’ve all enjoyed working on it.

Here Madi & Marcus work on some sketches of the Badlands from one of the overlooks.

We ended at the Visitor’s Center where the kids found some great books on American Indian history and the National Parks.  We stayed reading for a few hours then relaxed at the Sioux teepees nearby.

One major change at the park since my first visit in app. 1980… now there is a Minuteman Missile silo on display near the park.  Of course, in 1980 these were still protected and confidential.  Unfortunately, we arrived a bit too late to view the silo.  But maybe we’ll go back.

When we got back home, we left the kids in the room with a pizza, and Michelle and I walked across the street for a dinner date.  The Firehouse Brewery in downtown Rapid City had a live band playing swing, blues, and some rock while we enjoyed local cuisine.  It was a great night to end a wonderful day.