The Badlands - Aptly Named

Unforgiving, formidable, harsh, stark, majestic, colorful, unbelievable, endless, unadulterated, simply amazing! One misstep and while you’re saying “hello” to Jesus, your family is peering over the edge of a cliff wondering what happened!
Our family enjoyed some time exploring the amazing rock formations of the Badlands in South Dakota.

Climbing them, we found the rock to be loose and gravelly at times; in other places it was like soft clay. Rolling hills with muted hues of orange, maroon and yellow melted together like a series of rainbows and stood in stark contrast to the gigantic red, rigid cliffs.

We had a great time climbing on the rocks, admiring fields of beautiful wildflowers and watching the prairie dogs play.

After leaving the Badlands, we made our way to Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was a beautiful park full of lakes, streams, mountains and wildlife. Much of our time here was spent relaxing at the campsite (except for the biking adventure which is detailed in Nicole’s blog entry). On our last day here, we took a scenic drive during which we encountered antelope, mule deer, and burros.

The climax of it all was when we were accosted by a herd of bison which created quite a traffic jam. They say you are supposed to stay 25 yards away from them… what are you supposed to do when they walk up to your window?

Mount Rushmore was our next stop. There we learned that Washington represents the birth of our nation, Jefferson - it’s growth, Roosevelt - it’s protection, and Lincoln - it’s preservation. We also learned that each park’s trail rating (i.e. easy, moderate, or strenuous) is RELATIVE! The President’s Trail at Mount Rushmore was supposed to be “strenuous” and it was “easy”. The bike trail at Custer was supposed to be “moderate” and it was “strenuous” (note – please refer to Nicole’s blog entry – which was accurate except that there were actually two monstrous hills, not just one, but I thought it was best not to remind her).

South Dakota was an amazing state. It is well worth a visit.

By Kathy