The Yellowstone Expedition: Day 3 - The Badlands

Today is the first time in a while that I have woke up feeling really good. I grabbed a shower and a decent breakfast. Funny note, the hotel we were at had boiled eggs as part of its contenental breakfast. Never seen that before. After getting things packed up, dad and I headed down the road. Today was determined to be overcast, but that was not going to stop us.

The Badlands

We made a quick stop to get some tickets for the Minuteman Missle tour, before heading into the Badlands. I have to say that I was awestruck by their beauty. Even through the gray haze it was an amazing view. Looking out over these earthen spurs has a power to it. The recent rains had also made things far greener than expected, or so dad kept commenting. I walked out to the end of one spur so I could get a really good view. It was at this point that I discovered the rain had also made the ground fairly muddy. While the Badlands are stony, they are also covered with clay.

Taking it all in

We continued on to a trail where we were able to walk out along the stony paths. Well, paths is a misleading word. You get off of a boardwalk and occasionally there is a numbered marker to tell you if you are still heading true. Dad and I climbed up a little butte and got our picture taken. On the way back I climbed up another spur, but stopped short of going all the way up. To many people before me had left the path to slick with mud to go safely.

We stopped at another small trail for a bit. The scent of wildflowers filled the air. The visitor center was next. I was pleased to get my second stamp in my national parks passport for the day. They had a cool archaeology lab there as well. A few souvenirs and it was off to the next bit of fun.

If you look close you can see my dad down in the parking lot.

After driving for a while we stopped at the saddle back trail. Dad stayed behind while I clamored up the trail. I had not planned to go far, but there was an urge inside of me that kept saying "just a bit farther," until I was to the top. Even that was not enough though. While I am not normally one to do so, I ventured off trail so that I could climb up a stony point. Soon I was at the top of the saddle looking down, probably about 4-500 ft. I could see the edge of forever from up there. The wind whipped around me to where I could not hear over its roar. My flesh was chilled, but I stood above the outcropping to look down and take it all in, howling in triumph. I could even stop dad from up there, though he was like a spec.

Looking up from the bottom

Going back down was a bit rougher, and a lot faster. By the end of that hike I was pretty exhausted. After more than a week of sitting around, this sudden workout had zapped my energy. I was in a hurry though. We had a tour to take.

Missile Launch Control

We drove out of the park to Launch Control Facility, Delta 0-1. We were given a tour of this historic site by a former missilleer. We saw where the men had worked and lived during the height of the Cold War. It was informative and more than a little bit mind boggling. You can hear about those bunkers, but being down in them makes you realize just how extreme it was.

After that we headed back to the park. We drove around. We stopped here and there for some pictures and to look around. We stopped dead in our tracks though when we found a prairie dog city. It was fun watching them, and listening to them. Hard to get a good picture though unless you have a really powerful zoom. The sun did finally come out. This allowed for a particularly stunning view of a multicolored rock formation.

Some of the brightest colors of the day

By the time things were all said and done, we had seen about half of the park. The geological features were obvious attraction for their unquestionable beauty. However, my attention was often drawn to other aspects of nature as well. There were many beautiful flowering plants. I am glad that the cacti were in bloom. Insects were more often heard than seen, but they joined in with the bird songs. Birds were the most prominent form of wildlife. I saw a magpie and possibly a burrowing owl. I saw a beautiful blue bird and listened to a yellow and black bird, both of which I shall have to work to identify later. I mentioned the prairie dogs above, but they were not the only mammal. We also were able to spot some antelope.

Seen from the roadway

We were pretty worn out by this point. We waved farewell to the Badlands to go hunt down a hotel. That was a rough task. We settled on a place in Keystone, the town located by Mount Rushmore. Before we settled in we took a quick drive up to see the monument. I thought it would be bigger. Still, it is an impressive view. On the way back down, dad was rather taken with some chainsaw carvings. 

Today has been a great adventure. So many things to taking in have left me on the verge of sensory overload. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds. This adventure is just beginning.