Badlands NP, Wall Drug
South to Rapid City for gas and groceries. Southeast to Badlands NP. Found a camp spot, visited the visitor center (another very good movie), and visited the local lodge/gift store ( definitely NOT an historic spot or hotel of note). North Dakota Badlands are colorful and stark and wild but they do have water and vegetation. South Dakota Badlands just very stark. Much less color. Almost no water, hence very little vegetation. Still, very beautiful. Clear skies, sharply defined landscape. Good place for photographic study of contrasts and shadows.
There is also wildlife.
We went through a bison herd also but have reached point where close contact with bison is not too photo worthy.
There is a town near here called Wall. It is called that because it is on the ‘Wall’ of the Badlands. In Wall is a drug store. At least it started that way. Now it is four city blocks of tourism. Shop after shop after shop all under the auspicious of the drug store (we never did find actual pharmacy. Western wear, jewelry stores (several styles), gift stores (again many types), cafe, restaurant, gold panning/mining. Fossils. Photo ops of all kinds.
Extra credit if you can name the beast I’m riding.
Web sources say allow two and a half hours to look around. We weren’t there that long but it was quite a while. We did find an item that we had been searching for for several states and had an interesting look around at every thing else. Fun place to see – in the middle of nowhere. I know, nowhere is getting crowded.
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