June 30,2019: One Day Road Trip to The Badlands and stuff in the middle.
I will be logging a day behind. Our days are action packed and we are planning the next days adventure. Most times internet connection is not that great either.
Yesterday was a picture perfect day. When we left Sioux Falls the weather ahead of us in Wall, SD did not look promising. As a matter of fact, tornadoes were spinning throughout the state. When this happens we stay optimistic and put in place a back up plan, but remain intent on carrying out the original plan. It really does not matter the outcome, as there is so much to explore, regardless of the element.
The day started with a short ride to Falls Park. It was a beautiful morning and we had the park to ourselves. Definitely worth the stop if you are in the area of Sioux Falls. There is plenty of parking and places to picnic. There is a lovely cafe which overlooks the falls. These are not high falls but they are tiered and real pretty. Click on the above link to learn more.
The Corn Palace was our next stop! That is correct. Todd would visit the Corn Palace while traveling with his family cross country as a young boy. He wanted to share it with me and recall some fond childhood memories. This is a novelty stop, such as the “Corner of Winslow”.
We arrived to Badlands National Park, a four hour ride up I90W from Sioux Falls, at noon. We entered Mountain Time and gained (2) hours. Our first stops were The Door and Window Trails. No more than a one mile in and out trek, with the best views of the Badlands, in our opinion. We then drove the Highway 320 Scenic Route. Along this route there are many scenic overlook stops. We took this loop to Wall, SD, approx. 1.5 hours. The entire loop can be as long as (3) hours.
The weather cooperated. A sunny 90 degrees and we got some color and a nice little workout. Exiting the park into Wall, SD, we encountered a Bison Jam. Great photo opportunity, I even noticed a colony of Prairie Dogs and they were wonderful subjects. Read more about them on my link above. They are fascinating critters.
“Prairie dogs are considered a ‘keystone” species because their colonies create islands of habitat that benefit approximately 150 other species.”
Why are they called Badlands? Click on this link to learn more. The names meaning has changed over the years.
“The Lakota people were the first to call this place ‘mako sica” or “land bad.” Extreme temperatures, lack of water, and the exposed rugged terrain led to this name. French-Canadian fur trappers also called it “les mauvais terres pour traverse,” or “bad lands to travel through.” “
Coming into wall the severe storm warning began to generate. The sky was getting dark in the distance, would we get to witness an electrical storm over the Badlands? We ventured over to our hotel, The Great Western Plains Hotel. There are not many options for accommodations, this hotel was totally overpriced ($190), but when I was researching options there were only Motel 8, Econo Lodges and Motel 66. I took the one I knew was decent. Any of them would actually been good. The Motel 8 out here is a lot different from back home. Better safe than sorry. The hotel was meticulous and the staff very friendly, and a few miles to the BNP entrance.
We ventured into the town of Wall and visited the famous Wall Drug pretty much equivalent to I95 “South of the Border” tourist trap. There are no real food options in this town, had we known, we would have noshed on our Wisconsin Cheddar, crackers, beer and wine and called it dinner.
The storm passed and there was a little electricity, but the real storm missed us, phew! The sun came out and the sun went down, we witnessed that. We drove back into the park for an 8:30 sunset. To avoid crowds we went to a local suggestion. Entered the park at the NorthEast entrance, travelled about a few miles till on the left was the Door Trail. Approx (1) mile up on right, North Road, we made a right and witnessed the sun set on the clay.. stunning. These pics were taken with my iPhone, as I left my camera bag behind on accident, lesson learned!
We never made it to Deadwood. We got our fill of campy and touristy crap in Wall.
This wrapped up our itinerary for The Badlands in a Day.
Peace! Get out there and do something good for you! Today!
Somewhere in America 