Badlands are Bad Ass!

I got today off to a great start beginning with a stop at the Target(s) in Sioux Falls for a pillow. The worst part about camping for me is not having a pillow. So since I’m driving, why not? New pillow and pillowcase!

I decided to load up on water since I’d be spending most of the nights over the next week in a campground. Did you know Targets out west sell BEER? Would you believe they sell Odell’s (not O’Douls) 5 Barrel Pale Ale from Ft. Collins, CO? A quality quaff! So yes, I was buying beer at 9 am at a Target.

The 275 mile drive west on I-90 was basically straight, allowing me time to snap photos along the way. The first was a lovely sculpture garden.

Next was a not so lovely traffic wreck. It looked like a tractor trailer in the east bound lanes swerved off the highway and flipped over.

I couldn’t tell what the other vehicle was – RV or another truck. I was only able to make out a mattress in the wreckage.

Next up the world’s only Corn Palace, located in Mitchell, SD. I saw signs for this place while I was still in Minnesota. With a sign claiming it was “Bushel’s of Fun!”, I knew I needed to stop.

Everything on the outside of the building was made from ears of corn & they re-do it every year (obviously).

As usual, the signs were more entertaining than the actual place. So I made a pit stop, bought a couple postcards and a magnet for the fridge.

Back on the road to Badlands National Park. A gorgeous sky!

I had read that the Badlands resembled the moon. I’m no Buzz Aldrin, but I would not disagree with that statement. The Lakota Tribe knew this place as “mako sica” – translated means “bad lands.” It’s hot, there’s no water, no flowers, but it is spectacular! Maybe it’s the combination of prairie grasslands with 75 million years of layers rising through it.

Late in the afternoon I went on an easy 5 mile hike giving me a great view of the sights. I came around a bend in the trail and found the ground littered (not in the NYC sense) with all kinds of rocks.

I set up my tent in a spot where I could sit and watch the sun set against the jagged peaks…with a cold beer of course!

Looking forward to freeze dried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner (just add boiling water!)

...and sleeping under the stars. And a couple of Fat Squirrels (leftover beer, not dessert) and a 5 Barrel Pale Ale. Dinner wasn’t actually that bad.

By the way, I can hear a guy snoring not too far away…good thing I’ve got ear plugs!