Blogs from Badlands, South Dakota, United States, North America - page 3

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: 2009 GREAT WESTERN ADVENTURE WEEK SEVEN: CUSTER , SD TO BARABOO , WI Tuesday, July 07 Custer is a cute Western town on the edge of Custer State Park. After checking out of President Harrison’s Cabin we drove into Custer to a little bistro for an egg burrito (I also had a great chai) before heading out to the park. We then drove along the edge of the park for some time before seeing anything. Suddenly as we rounded a bend a herd of buffalowere on the crest of a hill munching on yellow sweet clover. It was a beautiful site! The smell of the buffalo announces their presence long before you see them and if you are lucky to get close enough you can hear them snorting and chewing the clover. ... read more

Luverne, MN to Rapid City, SD via Badlands Day 5 of our trip: Good dogs visit the Badlands! We crossed the border to South Dakota, and left the Midwest. A sign said "Welcome to South Dakota, watch out for jackrabbits." South Dakota is full of rolling hills, lots of cows, fields of bales of hay and a western aura--cowboy country. We stopped in Sioux Falls SD. They have a nice downtown sculpture display; otherwise, SF SD is pretty quiet--the Visitor's Center was closed on Saturday! We found a leash free dog park for Cleo and Bandit, and they ran along a path with a view of bluffs inhabited by swallows, and cooled off in a river. We visited the Badlands National Park. They were having a free weekend, so we did not have to pay ... read more

On our way to Yellowstone, after leaving a long weekend of chilly and rainy weather in Minneapolis, we voted to drive through Badlands National Park and to Mount Rushmore. The pictures will give some semblance of the story, but the Badlands are a very beautiful drive and worth your time if you are ever out this way. It is a short one-hour loop in the car with several stops for pictures (great panoramic photo op...we will figure this out with our two cameras very soon I hope) and some hikes. Many signs warn of what must be a continual presence of rattlesnakes. Other wildlife in the area include the most endangered mammal in the US..the black footed ferret, bison, big-horned sheep, fox, and prairie dogs! We arrived at Badlands in late afternoon and had some great ... read more

South Dakota, and over into Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan Saturday August 9 to Monday August 11, 2008 Mt. Rushmore With many bikers sharing the road, we drove southwest a bit to circle Mt. Rushmore. Declining the fairly steep entrance fee, we snapped photos from the highway at 2 different vantage points, and made our way east again; we would have liked to take Rte 44 to reach Badlands National Park, rather than the Interstate, but being short on time, opted for speed, and entered the park via the town of Wall. There we stopped at a gas station to use the rest room, and get snacks and coffee. Outside there was a coin-operated horse ride - and Rollie clowned around for the camera (Miles and I got in on the action too). They also had a ... read more