Badlands, South Dakota

Bad, Bad, Bad Lands

There's not much going on in South Dakota.  Until you reach the Black Hills on the extreme western edge of the state, it's flat.  Even the Badlands are only fleeting distractions from the immense flatness that surrounds you.  Unlike the flatness of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the flatness of South Dakota seems more raw (or, less arable, depending on who you talk to) - which would explain the shift from farmed fields to fields of grazing cattle.

Our goal was to make it to Badlands National Park from St. Paul in one day (600 miles).  We succeeded.  Our only stop was at a Cabela's superstore -- the world's foremost roadside attraction.  In the world's foremost outdoor parking lot, we met a man from Ohio whose wife is from Pennsylvania.  He took interest in our license plate and our quest.  He wished us well.  We grabbed the necessities - a new Petzl headlamp, a can of isobutane/propane fuel for our stove, and a TacoBell grilled stuft burrito (Audrey).  Oh, America.  How you sustain me.

Badlands sunset

We arrived at the Bad-asslands just before sunset (which is before 5 pm - fuck).  We camped at the main campground, so as to be close to the limited selection of hiking trails in the morn.  After a somewhat fitful rest in ol' NorthFace, we were ready to hike at 8:40 am.

Juniper

We nibbled some wild juniper berries, which tasted unsurprisingly gin-like.  They were delicious but had a heinous aftertaste.  You win some, you lose some in the game of wild edibles.

A day in the life

Sancho scaled most scalable things

What the hell are these?  Only dinosaurs can tell.

The "Notch Trail" featured this bangin' cable & post ladder.  It was a breeze to ascend, but a little Indiana Jonesy on the descent.

 

 

After the Notch Trail, we hiked Castle Trail to Medicine Root Trail.  10 miles in under 5 hours - easy,  breezy, beautiful.

Sanch- -- draw this plant, plz!
 

 

Besides the rock formations, the highlight of Badlands N.P. was seeing so much wildlife.  We saw:

1) mule deer, lots of em

2) several bighorn sheep, including a ram

3) hare

4) LOTS AND LOTS OF BISON (aka buffalo)
 

 Loner at sunset

Our campground the second night (Sage Creek) was located off of the Badlands Loop Road - 12 miles down the dirt "Sage Creek Rim" road.  We shared the space with a herd of 800 bison that roam within the park.
 

 Sage Creek Campground sunset

They be grazin'

I'm not going to lie, I was a wee bit scared.  Just like my slight fear of moose -- I don't want to mess with 2,000 pound animals. Luckily, the bison we met seemed even more mild-mannered than moose. They were majestic and calm.  We humans have a lot to learn.

Morning light

After a stressful yet adventurous night (extreme winds forced us to a cramped slumber inside Norbie), we were on the road at the break of day.

We saw some more mule deer on the way out.  And lots of bison.

Wyoming was amazingly sparse.  With a population of just over 600,000, it is the least populated state in the USA.  We're talking 25 miles between highway exits.  Yeah.

As soon as we entered Montana, we encountered steady snowfall.  The first real snow of the season.  Up here in the wild, wild west, they believe that snow removal is for sissies.  No chemicals, not even sand.  Do they plow?  I'm not sure.  In any case, extreme winter conditions forced us off the road and into a Hampton Inn whose highway billboard advertised a 24-hour swimming pool and hot tub.  So I won't get to fulfill my road trip wish of not staying in any hotel/motel.  But what's a road trip without unexpected hardship?  Not much of an adventure, I say.