The Badlands
Today we rolled into the badlands. I really didn’t know what to expect but the badlands are spectacular. All the hoodoos are different colors and sizes. It was so pretty. Our first hike was to the top of one of the hoodoos. The first half mile was really gravelly and steep so it wasn’t easy to climb, but after that you came up onto a flat plateau. From there we saw the peak we had to climb up. The view at the top was amazing. You could see for miles and miles. (If you have a good eye you’ll be able to spot the RV in one of the pictures).
After a good night’s rest, we got up early to start on our hikes. They first one was probably my favorite. You had to climb a ladder up the side of a hoodoo to get to the top. It was really rickety and was really freaky. After that it got scarier. You had to shimmy across the edge and it wasn’t that wide. The view at the end was worth it though. It was out over a ledge and you could see forever. The other hike we did was over a plateau. You had to jump over holes and climb up rocks. It was really fun.
The next thing we did was probably the highlight of our day. We got to feed… Prairie Dogs! We got some peanuts and went out into the field. When they heard the crinkle of the bag they popped right out. They would scurry up, get the nut, and scurry back to the hole. I never understood Will’s obsession with prairie dogs, but they are so cute!
We needed something to eat so we drove a little ways to Wall Drug. Before we had even entered South Dakota we had seen signs for this place. As soon as we walked into this place we were all overwhelmed. It was huge and like a western themed mini mall. Evie got a cool cowboy hat and Will got a bison. They also had a cool restaurant were we got the best donut I’ve ever had.
We also got to see some cool missile silos from the Cold War. They would be ready to fire these as soon as the order was given. The visitor center was open but sadly the silos were closed for Labor Day so we had to look at them from afar, but it was still a cool experience.
