The Badlands!

After picking up quality coffees at Pure Bean Creamery, we headed east this morning towards the Badlands National Park. Very soon along the empty highway we spotted advertising boards for ‘Wall Drug.’ These hoardings announced the attractions of the store just about every half mile, one of them being a six foot rabbit!

We were intrigued and turned off to investigate. Wall is a small town with a huge Drug Store selling just about everything you would want in an isolated western spot. We were expecting it to be full of tourist tat but were taken aback by the range and quality of merchandise from top of the range cowboy boots to ordinary school items. There was much historic memorabilia to enjoy and Becks and I got to sit on the six foot rabbit.

Back on the highway we turned off at the Badlands exit. Becky and Rob had picked out several trails for us to do which took in the spectacular views of the eroded spires and buttes which tower over the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. It was walking on an alien planet! We were warned to look out for rattlesnakes but didn’t see any. There were several colourful small birds and eagles and turkey vultures soaring above the rocky pinnacles.

Back from walking the ‘Window’, ‘Door’ and ‘Notch’ trails we were ready for lunch and drove to the Cedar Pass Restaurant to enjoy the local speciality, Sioux Tacos. Afterwards we took a look around the neighbouring Visitor Centre and then, as threatening clouds rolled in, we drove to our last trail of the day, the Saddle Pass Trail, which was basically a steep climb through and around the rock pinnacles to the ridge for more spectacular views.

Once down, we drove five miles along a dirt track to the Roberts Prairie Dog Town where we could literally see hundreds of these small meerkat type creatures across the plain, munching grass and signalling to each other, with some acting as sentries, very cute!

The dirt track continued for a further twenty miles before we reached the highway and turned south and west to Rapid City, spotting Big Horn Sheep and Bison en route. A fantastic day in an area unlike anything I have experienced before!