Blogs from Badlands, South Dakota, United States, North America

It's easy to romanticize the Badlands. The narrow canyons beckon travelers to explore the echoes of solitude. Fifteen years ago, looking into the wrinkled surface of the earth from a tourist platform, I fantasized about hiking and camping there, but I didn't have the knowhow, the gear, or the fitness. So now that I have all those things, this was a place I wanted to revisit during the coronasummer, on my way to Wyoming with my friend Dan. When I told my dad about my plan to explore the area more, he bought me David McCullough's book Mornings on Horseback, an origin story of Teddy Roosevelt, culminating with the time he spent in the Badlands grieving the deaths of his wife and mother, and further developing a Hemingway-esque code that catapulted him to becoming the youngest ... read more

On our way to Rapid City, stopped by the Corn Palace (a palace made of corn), it was a necessary drive-by. Not much in SD as I can see but corn! Bob is having fun driving the 80 MPH speed limit, with some "peddle to the metal" moments. We had a beautiful day to drive through the Badlands, and to see Mt. Rushmore. There were acres and acres of sunflowers. Their heads were drooping from the weight, but I managed to get a pix from the car. In addition to the corn and sunflower fields the billboards for Wall Drugs were everywhere, so of course, we had to stop to see the scene. It's a drug store that's grown to a "buy everything" store, cowboy boots (pretty good ones) and lots of tourist stuff and an ... read more

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We have now spent three days in this beautiful state .It is interesting that its nickname highlights the monument to the four presidents, when, in fact, for me, the other attractions are more memorable. The Black Hills of South Dakota are filled with sights to see and things to do. We were able to see the major tourist spots but, again, to see everything worthwhile, it takes more than a couple of days. Bill and I decided to stay in Deadwood, which is just a few miles from most of the attractions such as Spearfish Canyon, the Presidents Monument and Crazy Horse. Unfortunately, the weather the first day was not great and our trip to see Mount Rushmore was hampered by the fog. We were unable to see the mountain clearly. However, we made the most ... read more

Miles traveled today: 523 We rushed out of the hotel as fast as we could because of the big day we had ahead of us- Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore. We arrived at the park a little before noon and I bought an eighty dollar annual pass to the National Parks while my mom, the lucky duck, bought a senior lifetime pass for ten dollars! We pulled off at the first parking area where there were several walking trails. I walked out in my flip-flops and quickly ran back to the car to put on hiking shoes to explore. There are no words that can give justice the beauty and grandeur of the place. We took hundreds (literally) of photos because as my mom said, “it’s hard not to when the place is so photogenic.” ... read more