We left Blue Mounds State Park on Fri., June 12, and on our way to the Badlands we passed several billboards for The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD, so since it was free and not too far off the highway, we decided to check it out. The outside of The Corn Palace (http://www.cornpalace.com/) is completely decorated with ears of corn and other grai
ns. Over half million ears of corn are cut in half and nailed to the building following patterns created by a local artist, and the 12 different colors of the corn are naturally grown with special seed. (If you double-click the photo of the star, you can see a close-up of the corn.) The Palace is a multi-use facility that was re-built in 1921, and every year a new de
corating theme is chosen. The interior arena, where several tables were set up selling all kinds of stuff, also has corn murals along the upper edges of the walls. We needed to get back on the road so didn’t stay for the video but enjoyed walking around and checking out one of those items off the beaten path. 
Once back on the road we continued passing miles and miles of flat farmland, when all of a sudden we came over a ridge to a totally changed vista…the Missouri River below with rolling hills across on the other side. It was as if they just popped up out of nowhere on the other side of the river. And then a little fu
rther down the road the rock formations began to appear. What a drastic change in scenery in such a relatively short distance! Our next stop was Badlands National Park (http://www.nps.gov/badl) which mixes rugged landscape with the wide open prairie. Formed over millions
of years, the sedimentary layers are evident throughout the park. The beauty of the peaks, crevices, buttes, and rocks is almost indescribable and leaves one with a sense of awe at what Mother Nature has created. At times the land looks almost other worldly, and as we said in our last post, at times you almost expect to see John Wayne riding up out of one of
the canyons. Unlike most other national parks, you can explore the entire park by foot. We took advantage of a couple of the shorter self-guided hiking trails that were marked easy and marveled at the landscape. We saw what looked like a heart-shaped hole in a rock formation with dozens of birds flying in and out. Upon a closer look with the binoculars we could see mud holes in the top underside of the "heart" that 
were their nests! At the end of one of the trails, Russ decided to venture a little further across a rocky outcrop telling me to hang back. It was a little harder getting over to the spot than he thought, and when he looked the other side, he said it was a sheer drop-off straight down! Very carefully he made his way back, but it gave me a little cause for concern. If he had fallen off the other side, by the time I would have found someone to help, I probably wouldn’t have been able to return to the exact spot. It’s easy to get yourself turned around in them thar hills! Oh, and d
id I mention, cell phone service in the Badlands National Park is non-existent, so I wouldn’t have been able to call 911.
Naturally we watched the orientation film offered at the visitor center and chatted with a couple of the rangers. There's been so much rain in the last few weeks that wildflowers th
at haven't bloomed in years are blooming again and green is everywhere. We drove the Badlands Loop Road, 26 miles of paved scenic roads and overlooks that winds through the northern end of the park. As we came down one hill, we spotted a couple pulled off to the side of the road with binoculars raised, looking across 
the road and down the hill. We continued driving and then realized that what they were seeing were bighorn sheep perched atop a rocky peak! We managed to turn around and stopped across the road from the couple to get a better view. This was so cool! There were about a dozen including a couple of nursing mothers. When we arrived they were on the very top but slowly made their way part way do
wn the slope and then started going back up. We decided that anytime we see somebody pulled to the side of the road with binoculars, there’s probably a reason and best to stop if possible.
of years, the sedimentary layers are evident throughout the park. The beauty of the peaks, crevices, buttes, and rocks is almost indescribable and leaves one with a sense of awe at what Mother Nature has created. At times the land looks almost other worldly, and as we said in our last post, at times you almost expect to see John Wayne riding up out of one of
the canyons. Unlike most other national parks, you can explore the entire park by foot. We took advantage of a couple of the shorter self-guided hiking trails that were marked easy and marveled at the landscape. We saw what looked like a heart-shaped hole in a rock formation with dozens of birds flying in and out. Upon a closer look with the binoculars we could see mud holes in the top underside of the "heart" that 
were their nests! At the end of one of the trails, Russ decided to venture a little further across a rocky outcrop telling me to hang back. It was a little harder getting over to the spot than he thought, and when he looked the other side, he said it was a sheer drop-off straight down! Very carefully he made his way back, but it gave me a little cause for concern. If he had fallen off the other side, by the time I would have found someone to help, I probably wouldn’t have been able to return to the exact spot. It’s easy to get yourself turned around in them thar hills! Oh, and d
id I mention, cell phone service in the Badlands National Park is non-existent, so I wouldn’t have been able to call 911.Naturally we watched the orientation film offered at the visitor center and chatted with a couple of the rangers. There's been so much rain in the last few weeks that wildflowers th
at haven't bloomed in years are blooming again and green is everywhere. We drove the Badlands Loop Road, 26 miles of paved scenic roads and overlooks that winds through the northern end of the park. As we came down one hill, we spotted a couple pulled off to the side of the road with binoculars raised, looking across 
the road and down the hill. We continued driving and then realized that what they were seeing were bighorn sheep perched atop a rocky peak! We managed to turn around and stopped across the road from the couple to get a better view. This was so cool! There were about a dozen including a couple of nursing mothers. When we arrived they were on the very top but slowly made their way part way do
wn the slope and then started going back up. We decided that anytime we see somebody pulled to the side of the road with binoculars, there’s probably a reason and best to stop if possible. Another section called Sage Creek Rim Road is about 30 miles of unpaved ro
ad winding through acres and acres of grassland and home to a variety of wildlife. The first couple days we were in the area the road was closed due to bad weather several days before. Finally we were able to access the road and saw quite a number of prairie dogs in the area known as Roberts Prai
rie Dog Town and even saw some bison. There are supposedly 700 in the Badlands but we saw only about 10 total. One of them was grazing about a couple hundred feet from the road, so we got out to take some pictures. You’re advised to keep your distance from the wildlife, especially bison which can run about 35 mph. I thought the minimum distance was 
100 feet, and the rule of thumb is if the animal reacts to your presence, then you are too close. Well, after we got back in the car, I looked at the brochure again and the minimum distance is 100 yards. Ooops! As you can tell from my zoom lens, he did react to our presence! One of th
e rangers later told us that the bison have become lazy this year because with all the extra food available from the rains, they are putting on weight and laying around, more than likely in the valleys so that's probably why we didn't see more of them.
ad winding through acres and acres of grassland and home to a variety of wildlife. The first couple days we were in the area the road was closed due to bad weather several days before. Finally we were able to access the road and saw quite a number of prairie dogs in the area known as Roberts Prai
rie Dog Town and even saw some bison. There are supposedly 700 in the Badlands but we saw only about 10 total. One of them was grazing about a couple hundred feet from the road, so we got out to take some pictures. You’re advised to keep your distance from the wildlife, especially bison which can run about 35 mph. I thought the minimum distance was 
100 feet, and the rule of thumb is if the animal reacts to your presence, then you are too close. Well, after we got back in the car, I looked at the brochure again and the minimum distance is 100 yards. Ooops! As you can tell from my zoom lens, he did react to our presence! One of th
e rangers later told us that the bison have become lazy this year because with all the extra food available from the rains, they are putting on weight and laying around, more than likely in the valleys so that's probably why we didn't see more of them. 
There are several options on where to stay when visiting the Badlands, and we chose the Badlands White River KOA. As its name implies, it is nestled next to the White River with lots of shade trees, but there are spots that allow satellite reception (a vital component when you live fulltime in your RV). There are several cottonwood trees that were “spreading thei
r seed”, cotton flying everywhere, and on the ground it was so thick it almost looked like snow. The staff is very friendly, the grounds are lovely, and not only do they have one of the biggest pet exercise areas I’ve ever seen but they also have an area where you can wash your dog! Mine are too big to wash in our rig’s shower so this 
was perfect (though I don’t think you could convince Mikey of that especially since the water was so cold!)Initially we considered staying at the campground located within the park, but we read it was on a first come, first serve basis and we were concerned that there would not be space when we arrived as the summer months get extremely busy in the national parks. However we learned from the park rangers that they have never seen it full so keep that in mind as an option should you decide to camp. Cheaper than the KOA, there are no hookups but the view is spectacular. There are also a couple other campgrounds nearby but we don’t know much about them.
People come to the Badlands for many reasons. Some study the fossils or the geology, some to hike the trails, some to awe at the magnificent beauty, and some to paint as evidenced by this gentleman we spotted on one of our drives. Whatever your reason or wherever you stay, take your time to enjoy.
1 comment:
I made this trip in 1962 at he age of 7 with my family. We were on our way from Michigan to the Seattle World's fair. The Corn Palaces amazes me as much now as it did then! And my dad made me watch for Injuns as we drove through the Badlands. thanks for the memory!!!
hugs Kim
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