Encouraging to Just Drive

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The sky began to mystify, the sun still under the surface but still, it was coming. With mist visible along the Great Plains, the mystery of America’s vast open land was about to be revealed. I’m somewhere in the south of South Dakota trying to head to one of the last remaining regions of the Native Americans. No, no don’t expect anything of lush farmlands. This is the forgotten lands for most white Americans. If it weren’t for Mount Rushmore nearby would Americans come here?



Forced to conform and accept reservations the Badlands was near one of those area the natives had to accept. Perhaps not the best to keep a sustainable living to say the least but for the tourist it provides the best scenery USA has had to offer thus far on the road trip and the best way to understand the sometimes forgotten people of USA.



I slept in the car the previous night so I could get here for early morning lighting. I didn’t know too much of the place just that it was a sacred place to the Native American for 11 000 years, primarily as a hunting ground. The descendents are generally now in North Dakota. Before the turn of the century Indians were forced into Reservations stripped of the land they connected with.



It was around these areas that the final real battle between the native Indians and the US army took place for this region and it is here through the silence of non development that a connection can be felt and history easier to obtain about the native American culture. But I’ll get to that next blog.



The sun had just come up by the time I got to the entrance. I slowed down at the entrance gate and saw that the national park charge $15 per vehicle entry. Had it been another time of day I probably wouldn’t have gone. But the sign informed it opens at 8am and if you arrive earlier than just pay later when you exit on the other side. I don’t think I have arrived right when the sunrises at a place like this or had a car of my own to drive through it.



So with no one stationed and the honesty system applying (as of 8am) I was left with the challenge. To drive through the Badlands take some photos, appreciate to the best of my ability, go out to see a few viewpoints and speed whilst weaving in and around one of the world’s great landscapes. With hardly anyone around would I get past the finish line in Wall to keep hold of my prize - $15 for the entry fee?



Wall is a small town at the west end of the Badlands National Park. It is home to Wall Drug – Drug St in Wall it gets advertised the second you enter South Dakota. It is home to one of the lamest tourist attractions but by Christ they do it well. So well it brings a smile to your face and is almost accepted. It’s been around since 1931 and

it’s loved by the locals.



They even acknowledge the lameness by informing. ‘There’s 1500 photos more --->’, electric stuffed raccoons make jokes to encourage people to take the mining tour, there’s a T-Rex that looks for food every 12 minutes and 5 c coffee. My distain for coffee was forgotten momentarily because of the saving and it must have been weak because I didn’t cringe.



There is a large amount of people wearing orange that stopped by so the orange hat I got for free at the Minnesota Wild game makes me look local and with my rough shave and long hair curling outside the cap I can pull off being a local or an outside wannabe. I was hoping to put up a conversation with a hunter and get an invite but it didn’t happen.



I did almost miss the Badlands mainly because the previous days drive through the east of South Dakota wasn’t that mind blowing. The main highlight was in Mitchell. Here they have a Corn Palace, now I’m not much of a maize fan but the Corn Palace is impressive. It’s another one of those ‘build something cause there is not much else here’ type place. It’s been doing it since 1892 and it’s the only Corn Palace in the World.



Unlike in Australia where they have the Big Prawn, Banana and that crap which is pretty much useless once viewed. Here you can go inside and they have concerts even basketball matches of the local schools. The floor was getting re buffed when I was there. The outside is made from all maize produce. And a whole bunch of people in orange gear read about ethanol how it comes from maize. A guy said, “You learn something new everyday.”



With the signs for Wall Drug and the Corn Palace of only interest South Dakota (with the comments of other Americans saying “There’s nothing there!”) made me skeptical of this part of the trip and the Badlands was the start of proving everyone wrong and the start of some of the best scenery in the states.



I had just spent the morning watching the sky turn a brighter blue and the millions of stars gradually disappear. I stopped off the highway and just listened to nothing broken occasionally by cars and trucks zooming by with cows mooing. Sleeping that night in the car freezing should exhaust me but not this day not when South Dakota is in front of you and the sun starting to penetrate the sky to light up the Badlands.



The soft sedimentary rock started off with a pink hue with a black-tarred road weaving itself around. One of the real beauties of this road is that for the first time they have purposely built vantage point stops. Prior to this I found it frustrating that I had been driving through some great landscapes but there is no where to stop and appreciated just a view moving along at 70mph.



Because of the softness, the rock has grafted into jagged layers at the top to a smoothing out with the less wind hitting it. The cuts in the landscape is best in the morning or late afternoon as the sunlight angle accentuates it more. There is limited plant life, which is on the outskirts of the place generally wild grass.



It takes roughly an hour to drive through and as I approached the gate it was close to 8am a minute or two either way depending on how the clock was set so I just kept going as I passed the paying gate and feel I earned my $15.



From here I was meant to go to Mount Rushmore and then Crazy Horse. But I got side tracked with a hike near Sturgis, which I will get to on the next blog. I just was enjoying driving through landscape that I could see.



The radio kept me entertained again when I was informed regularly that since 1998 USA’s intake of anti-depressants tablets has increased 400% to 1 in 10 people. Paul Kelly an Australian country singer was on the radio too and they played a song about Shane Warne I couldn’t believe it. Covering his whole cricket career was very much appreciated.



After the hike I saw that Wyoming is only 30 minutes drive away so I just kept driving. I stopped off at the tourist information centre and they gave me a nice 2-3 hour drive of their eastern border. They encouraged me to go to Yellowstone NP and I was so close to doing it. Had I not bought tickets to the Washington Redskins in a few weeks and had my drop off point as LA I could have just kept going to Seattle but instead I kept it to these beauties.



Just east of the information centre is Vore Buffalo Jump. You know that dramatic depiction of buffalos jumping off cliffs? Well here is the pit that the Native Americans would chase the buffalo to. For Great Plain Indians Buffalo was a valuable source of food and material for clothing, tools, fuel, shelter, ceremonies and toys. Prior to the harsh winters tribes would join forces and communal hunt for meat and materials to survive the winter. They did this by driving herds of buffalo into deep pits called sink holes (Vore Buffalo Jump) that the buffalos would jump off once realizing there is no point of return.



Devils Tower is next and from the road you can see the large rock. Native Indian legend has it that 7 little girls were chased to a rock to escape an attacking bear. They climbed up the rock whilst the claws of the leaping bear created strands of indents on the rock face. It was the first USA National Monument in 1906. Rock climbing was first done in 1893 after putting a ladder and wooden pegs into crack. Not until 1937 technical climbers started climbing it.



I drove back in South Dakota toward Deadwood, the drive through went via the Spearhead Canyon Scenic Byway, a loop that takes you from the open plains to a mountainous landscape covered in Spruce pine trees (My tree guru at home guesses.) My day started with a sunrise weave through the Badlands and concluded with a weave through the canyon.



As it got dark it was too cold for me to sleep in the car this time so I got myself a cheap enough room just outside of town. Deadwood is a Wild West town based on 1876 fortune seekers searching for gold. It has kept its wild-west theme and is a mini Vegas in the gamboling part. I played some poker machine with the pull the handle and lost $3. I was tempted to put more in after the sticker on the machine said “The more often you play… the more often we pay!”



Driving became a bit harder on the body from this day. The side-sleeping pillow I bought turned into a backrest whilst driving still I enjoyed the day. I did however question my travel experiences. I must dislike people in my travels because every great highlight I have had is when its just me and nature and limited amount of people. But then again my fond memories are of people. I guess I just like time to myself and South Dakota provides that with a bit of both.

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