Badlands and Wall Drugs
MaryAnn Here
Our day started at 8:00am with a rather short drive of 200 miles to reach the beginning of the Badlands. As we were driving along I-90 I mentioned to Jim that the wheat was looking such a nice champagne color but upon getting closer we found that it was not wheat at all but corn that had lost it's battle with no water. The entire plant was champagne in color not just the tops. In some places the plants were actually laying on the ground. This was the case mile after mile. What a sad situation for the farmers. The sunflower plants that normally are very tall with those yellow heads pointing to the sun so proudly, were hanging away from the sun drooping and spent with their life gone.
The drive thru the Badlands is about 30 miles long but it has perhaps a dozen scenic stops so it's not like a half hour drive. It's more like a four hour drive and what a drive. It is impossible to put in words what a person can see and feel about this area. The vastness of the area is beyond description. Jim just looked around and said, "Not in Six Days!"
I've added a number of pictures that show just a glimpse of what we saw today. If you click on any of the pictures you can see them in fullscreen.
Jim and Mike
Our lunch stop which we are really enjoying. But today the temp was 97 and if the breeze wasn't there we would have cooked. Judy and Mike were smart they brought shorts.
MaryAnn and Jim
Pairie Dog - There are huge areas where these little guys hang out. Fun to watch them.
The weather was very humid and hazy most of the way but just before we came to the end of the drive it seemed to clear up.
Doesn't get much better than this.
Information about the Badlands National Park
The Badlands National Park was established as a National Monument in 1939 but was resdesignated a National Park in 1978.
The Lakota dubbed this land “mako sica,” which means “land bad.” The early french trappers also described the area as 'bad land' because of the rugged terrain.
The badlands are 243,00 acres of eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with large amounts of mixed prairie grass. It is desolation in it's truest form, because you can look for miles and see no sign of civilization.
Bison, pronghorn, mule and whitetail deer, prairie dogs, coyotes, butterflies, turtles, snakes, bluebirds, vultures, eagles and hawks are just some of the wildlife that you can often see.
The skeletons of ancient camels, three-toed horses, saber-toothed cats and giant rhinoceros-like creatures are among the many fossilized species found here. Prehistoric bones are still being uncovered today by park officials. Of course these are all protected and have to stay there.
Information about Wall Drugs
To learn more about Wall Drug click on the following link. Wall Drugs or if you can not get it just copy and paste it.
One thing I have to tell you before you actually click on the link is......that it all started with a glass of ice water. Pretty 'cool' story and it's not just the ice water. And yes we spent a bit of time walking around Wall Drugs. And yes we had ice water Jim even had a 5 cent cup of coffee. It was hot hot outside and we have found out that Mike has a one track mind when he sees a sign for ice cream so yes we had some.
We had dinner at a local place, which we have found to be much better than tourist food. As I said it was hot and sticky most of the day and a wonderful rain started just as we finished our dinners.
If you ever intend to come to Wall, SD be sure to stop at Sunshine Motel to stay. John the owner is beyond nice and the rooms are very clean. And the best part is we were a block away from Wall Drugs....well actually everything is a block away. Mighty small town.
So ends our day in the Badlands and Wall Drugs. Off tomorrow to see new and exciting things.
No comments:
Post a Comment