The Badlands of South Dakota

We drove to Badlands National Park today. I wasn't sure what to expect.  I heard of them and saw pictures online, but what I found was really surprising. We stopped at the first boardwalk to go exploring. One of the first things I noticed was how straight the sedimentary layers are and all of the beautiful colors!  And the wind! It was so windy that it wears you out!

We went into the canyon and started exploring. We had so much fun wandering through the rocks to see how the water has carved them into their shapes. It seemed to go on forever!  I texted my boys that it was an awesome place to play hide and seek! 

 Curtis and I really enjoyed each other's company. This is our first real vacation by ourselves. ..no kids to worry about...just each other. He kept shaking his head at me (every now and then I'd hear him mutter "Woman!") because I kept wandering off and climbing around. I had a blast!  A part of me wished my boys were there. 

We kept driving through the park and stopping here and there. We stopped at another overlook and I noticed this sign for the first time.

Of course I thought I heard rattling! 

The Badlands has a huge mammal fossil bed and is partially managed by the Lakota Indians. I learned quite a bit about this unique landscape.  We also saw bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and an entire herd of buffaloes!  

We got a tip that we should take the gravel road out of the park, Sage River Rim Road. We were really glad we did. It was along this road that we saw the animals in their natural habitat! There was also some awesome scenery! I enjoyed watching the wind blowing the grass...like Trish said, it was like water flowing over the terrain.  

We stopped and had a picnic lunch at one of the picnic areas (the food I packed came in handy!), and we also stopped at the Visitor's Center. As Curtis and I watched a family trying to load their children into the van...the youngest crying, one of the little boys asking for his water...Curtis said, "Remember those days?" I nodded. It seems so long ago. 

This morning as we fought our way through the breakfast area, listening to all of the kids making demands, crying and fussing...I missed my kids and were grateful that they were so well behaved! At the same time, it was nice to just sit and have coffee with my husband and talk without interruption. 

We ended the day with dinner at Murphy's Irish Pub in downtown Rapid City. Afterward, we walked down the street and looked at the statues of all of the presidents, one at every corner. We got back a little early and had a nice relaxing evening.  

We are off to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse tomorrow!  Can't wait to see what's waiting for us there!

Two thumbs up today!! But boy, are we tired!