On August 18 Barb and I headed south and west, bound for the Badlands. We avoided superhighways all the way, soaking in the austere beauty of the plains of the western Dakotas. Barb’s son Jeff, on his way to Idaho from Kansas, met up with us just as we arrived at the South Dakota Badlands. He had his camping gear along, and we had ours (newly acquired), so we pitched two tents in one site in the Badlands campground. The experience was pleasant in every way; very nice accommodations and great to spend some time with Jeff again. We spent the morning of August 19 roaming through the park while making our way west, stopping frequently to admire and photograph. When we exited the western end of the Park, we headed to Wall, SD, where we stopped for a late lunch and the obligatory visit to the over-hyped Wall Drug. And then on to the Black Hills. But the latter experience deserves its own coverage. Stay tuned!
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- South Dakota grassland NE of the badlands
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- Another sight on the way to the Badlands
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- One looks UP at the eastern badlands, but DOWN on the western end
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- Late afternoon pic
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- We pulled off to the shoulder to picture this guy on the east end
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- Sharp edges late in the day
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- Sharp edges fairly early the next morning
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- Early morning revisit of the east end
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- …and another early morning shot
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- Barb at a campsite table
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- Mountain bluebird
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- Barb & son Jeff
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- Further west, we are now looking DOWN
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- At the extreme west end, there is a yellow layer topped with a purple hue
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- Lotsa bighorn sheep on the west end
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- And extensive prairie dog towns
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- One last panorama before leaving
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- Still in the Nat’l Park, a batch of young (?) bison
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- And then in the distance an old male that had probably been driven off by a dominant young bull
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- Quick pic of Wall Drug
