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Monday, September 29, 2014

WELCOME TO THE BADLANDS

In my last post I shared Camp Pleasant/Camp Plumb which was the location of Lewis and Clark's rest stop above and on the Missouri River.  
We continue our westward trek on  I-90.  Our destination is the Badlands National Park.  The scenery is starkly different, changing from rolling pastureland to craggy mountains popping up all around us.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The contrast of the rugged terrain against the clear blue sky accented with white puffs of clouds is awesome.      





We take a hike to experience the grandeur of the Badlands. Next to our path is a beautiful miniature wash created by the previous nights rain. I love the motion of the color that lie before me.  

We do not experience much wildlife on this walk. But what we do see is kind enough to pose for me even if they are hard to see as they blend in with the grasses.  





Most of our hike is on a boardwalk.  I like the boardwalks as they protect the surrounding terrain.  The rabbits seemed to have a community under a portion of the boardwalk.   

It directs us out to an overlook of the Badlands that leaves us breathless.





Looking Down 


As far as the eyes can see, the "fingers" of the Badlands stretch before us. 



Suddenly the rough texture smooths out to allow the visitor's center and campgrounds.  The views are not as spectacular, but are still lovely.  






After two nights in the campgrounds and in exploration, we move toward new sights and adventures.  The mountains continue to put on a show of color and drama.





The motorhome is now pointed to Wall, South Dakota.  There have been so many billboards along the interstate, promising free coffee, jewelry, ice cream and more.  The build-up is much more than the town.                                                   Unlike the Corn Palace, with its beautiful murals, Wall and Wall Drug left us cold.  It is just another tourist trap that we will not need to waste our time visiting Wall again.  

We continue westward.  What will we discover next?  

Thanks for visiting.  We appreciate the Amazon purchases that you make through this blog.  

God Bless you all.....and God Bless our military.  


12 comments:

  1. We love the Badlands. I can see from your photos that you got to see the colors in the day, with clouds and towards evening. All gorgeous.

    We thought the same when we visited Wall. Hope you got that free ice water.

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  2. It was so overcast when we were there last month. . .hard to get good pics. . .but we did enjoy being there. . .and the campground inside the park was great!

    Agree with you about Wall Drug. . .

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  3. If you ever get North of the border, Alberta has a great area of Badlands itself near Drumheller. The Tyrell Dinosaur museum is also there, and is a great spot to visit.

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  4. I do so love the badlands. Growing up in Eastern Montana, this is the land I know. And you got some incredible pictures.

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  5. The Badlands are definitely worth seeing, but oh my, it was really hot when we were there in late June, 2012. Luckily the visitor's center and informational movie were air-conditioned!

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  6. Love the starkness. That shot from the campground is great! Safe journey.

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  7. We loved staying in the National Park campground and seeing the amazing Badlands. I can't even imagine what one would think if they were on their way west on foot or by wagon and found themselves faced with this. We skipped Wall Drug. Having experienced the signs for "South of the Border" on the east coast we figured this would be the same over advertised junk.

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  8. Been to Wall twice. Both times left us cold. Now, the Badlands, that's a different story!

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  9. It has been awhile, but it still looks great:)

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  10. Ahhh the Badlands is a touching place for us... We went there to mourn the loss of our son. Maybe we should go back again to see it in happier circumstances.

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