Day 3

Day 3 (June 12) started out on a great note. Julie and I both woke up before the alarm went off (just before 6:00 am), got things ready, and were on the road before 7:00. We were awaken in the middle of the night by a fairly treacherous thunderstorm, but it ended up being soothing after a really long day on the road. We had a relatively short drive (only 7 hours today!) up the western side of Iowa and west through South Dakota. Everything was fairly uneventful, save the occasional rain shower and road construction. One thing on today’s drive will stick in our minds, and that’s the noticeable flooding that this region has endured this spring. It really was disheartening to see all the crop fields inundated in water. I can only imagine what the repercussions will be for the farmers who are being affected. As we were rolling along I-90 West through South Dakota, it was easy to focus on the road as there wasn’t really a whole lot else to look at. The drive resembled that on I-95 (north or south) through North or South Carolina as there were billboards advertising all the tourist traps along the route such as Wall Drug, the Corn Palace, and the 1880s Town—just think South of the Border, and you’ll understand. We realized we were close when, literally out of nowhere, in the horizon, you could see mounds of earth that just seemed like they didn’t belong. To first set eyes on the Badlands really is an awe-inspiring event. Julie, Bryce, Collin and I had nothing to say but “Wow!” When we exited the interstate, we all knew we were in for a treat and that our endless hours of travel to this point finally were taking on some meaning. Upon entering the National Park, we took a short drive to one of the scenic overlooks just to get out and stretch. We spent about 30 minutes at this first stop and were completely astonished by the natural beauty of these formations. We all wandered off the beaten path to gaze around and explore. This was just the beginning of our Badlands adventure. From there, we stopped at another parking area and walked one of the shorter trails in the park. It was here that we noticed a lone “antelope” grazing, a skeleton of something we’re still undecided about, and numerous other formations. From here, we took the perfunctory stop at the visitor’s center and purchased a few souvenirs, then decided to take a like “walk-about” in the park. We made a 5 mile loop through 3 different trails, each of which took on its own “personality”. The first, was a straight uphill climb on the formations that made our calves and thighs burn. The second part was through the “Medicine Root” trail of grasslands on the interior of the formations. The last was on the “Castle Trail” which got us closer to the true beauty of the Badlands. Please enjoy the pictures—they can only show a snippet of what we experienced. After our time in the park, we made it to our campsite and thoroughly enjoyed homemade fajitas for dinner. After dinner, and in spite of some more rain showers, we started a fire and had s’mores for dessert. We are now getting into the meat of our trip. We hit Mt. Rushmore tomorrow morning, then drive to Yellowstone. We may not be able to post til Wednesday, but there will be a ton to share…