Oct 20, 2012 - South Dakota Badlands

South Dakota Badlands National Park Four years ago in 2008 was our first trip across the country. Along the way, we visited the Badlands, Wall Drugs, Mount Rushmore and Bear Country USA. Since we enjoyed these places so much, we decided to re-visit them on our way home. In 2008 the temperature was 105 and I was really cranky (Debbie) because the air-conditioning in our truck wasn’t working. Today was a gorgeous 72 degrees. What an awesome wonder. Its history bears repeating and, for us, remembering, so here it is! Badlands History The White...

Sep 18, 2012 - Badlands National Park

We are spending a week in Hermosa, South Dakota which is right outside Rapid City. The other day we took a trip to the Badlands National Park with our friends John and Glenda. Each evening we have happy our with all the HitchHiker friends that are here (about 12 rigs). On our day trip throughout Badlands National Park we saw buffalo (Bison), prairie dogs and even a badger. We had never seen a Badger in the wild before. They eat prairie dogs and there are lots of them in the Badlands.

Sep 4, 2012 - Day 2 Badlands National Park

This morning we headed to Door Trailhead for a geology walk. Our NPS guide was named Paul and while he was very personable he was not extremely knowledgeable about the geological details of the Badlands. Generally he said that the Badlands were at one time a sea. When the mountains to the west began developing the sea slowly started to drain. Once the sea was gone silt was deposited. This took millions of years. Then came the period of erosion, which we are currently in. He did have a lot of general knowledge of the park, such as only 2...

Sep 3, 2012 - Interior, SD

Day Three: Destination - Badlands and Black Hills Soundtrack - Lady Gaga, Jimmy Buffet, Steppenwolf, American Hi-Fi, John Mayer, The Weepies and Kings of Leon This is what we woke up to this morning. Nick adjusted the valves and redirected the heat exchangers (or something along those lines if you're more mechanically inclined than I am and that sounds wrong.) Hopefully the engine runs a little cooler and Pumbaa is a happier camper (pun totally intended)! Our top speed yesterday was 60 for fear that we would melt something in the...

Sep 3, 2012 - First Day At Badlands

Last night we stayed at Badlands KOA one of the nicest private campgrounds in which we have stayed. At sundown we went to an overlook and took a sunset picture. The photo came out more dramatic than the actual sunset. Today we drove the Badlands Scenic Loop to get the lay of the land and decide what we would like to do and see for the rest of our visit. During a stop at the visitor's center we learned that this area is part of the Great Plains and at one time was at the bottom of a sea. When the Rockies and the Black Hills started to form...

Aug 31, 2012 - Want to Go To The Moon?

Traveling through Badlands National Park gives you the feeling like you're on a different planet. While the scenery has a unique beauty, it is also very eerie! Deep canyons, towering spires and flat-topped tables are everywhere you look, some reaching as high as approximately 1000 feet above the valley floor. Driving along the flat South Dakota prairie after leaving the beautiful Black Hills National Forest which were surprisingly green, prairie grasses blowing in the wind, you are greeted by this area which looks like you have just been...

Aug 25, 2012 - Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore

We left our camp site in Wall South Dakota and headed for Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore. Took some short hikes in the Badlands and headed for Mount Rushmore. Very amazing sculpture when seen live. Over 90% of sculpting done using dynamite. Left South Dakota and arrived at Deer Park campground in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Aug 9, 2012 - The Badlands

We kayaked today on Lake Hibble, looking for the monument to Lewis and Clark that was erected in the 1930s by the CCC. It is no longer accessible by land (this is east of Pierre, S.Dak.). We found it, too, or at least we think we did—a pyramid-shaped brick structure—the plaque was missing but the monument is on the map in the location we found it. It has managed to somehow survive the many floods of the Missouri since the 30s. We were out on the lake very early and it was calm and beautiful—the lake adjoins the Missouri and of course does...

Jul 22, 2012 - Badlands

Encore une journée très chaude et on décide de prendre ça relaxe et de profiter de la piscine. Les ciccadas comme les cigales chez nous, se font entendre lors de ces chaudes journée d'été. La soirée est encore marquée par un orage intense qui a duré plus d'une heure. Nous ne sommes pas habitués à ce genre d'orage.

Jul 21, 2012 - Badlands

Pendant la nuit, un son intense de cigale se fait entendre. On apprend que ce sont des ciccadas, un insecte qui sort de la terre à chaque 7 ans pour se reproduire puis retourne dans le sol pour un autre 7 ans. Nous sommes vraiment chanceux de vivre ce moment. En passant au visitor center, on assiste à un pow-wow des Lakotas qui peuplent cette région. Des danses sous 40C, ce n'est pas facile surtout pour un jeune bien enrobé qui faiblissait au fur et à mesure. On pensait qu'il ne finirait pas. Sous un soleil de plomb, nous ferons la route...

Jun 6, 2012 - Badlands National Park

One of the reasons we chose Rapid City for this stop was it's central location. It is "close" to all the places we want to go, but it is a bit of a drive to all of them. The Badlands is about an hour's drive from Rapid City, but it is all interstate with 75 MPH speed limit (!) so it seemed pretty quick. We had been to the Badlands before, so we already knew not to plan a lot of time there. After a few stops at scenic overlooks, it all tends to start looking the same. There are several hikes that look interesting, but - since we had the...

May 14, 2012 - Badlands National Park

This morning we left Cabelas heading for the Badlands National Park. An uneventful day. Arrived in the Mountain Time Zone. The Badlands are incredible. Sort of like mountains you may imagine on the moon (if they had mountains). They are rather bare. They also have lots of Prairie Dogs. Gas $126.50 Conoco Badlands $3.67pg (mid-grade) $3.74 (regular). Out west you have to pay attention to the price of gas because some stations charge more for regular than they do for mid-grade. We only are staying the one day. Will leave in the morning....