38.5 miles and 1777 miles overall.
A short day today. We left at the crack of 8:15 AM concerned about the weather report forecasting sustained winds of 25 mph and building as the day progressed with gusts up to 45 mph later in the day. Our final destination today was Interior, South Dakota but the real objective was a tour through Badlands National Park. Had the winds not been from a favorable westerly direction we would have delayed the trip. The winds picked up as predicted and we were at the entrance to the park in short order. Our presence was announced by the dozens of inhabitants of the prairie dog town that was adjacent to the entrance gate. The two large bison also near the entrance paid us no mind.
The north entrance (via Wall, SD) brings you to the top of the cliffs of the Badlands. We stopped at the first overlook and the views were spectacular in spite of some haze from wildfires up in Manitoba.
We continued through the park checking out the views and the wildlife. Other than Colin’s dung beetle close ups most of the wildlife including bison, big horn sheep and prairie dogs, only showed themselves at a distance.
As you move through the park the road takes you down from the rim into the cliffs and eroded formations the eventually to the flat valley floor below.
Here’s the downhill video
Valley floor photo
All and all a thrilling ride through beautiful unusual terrain. Monster tail wind added to the excitement.
At camp we rested up, showered and got some laundry done. We also got the burgers and fries some of us have been craving for days.
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