Before winter sets in it was time to get in another road trip to see a national park I always wanted to visit, and since the wife and I don’t like staying in hotels anymore because people are gross (you don’t know what debauchery has taken place there), we made it a long day trip, about 700 miles or so of driving. The quickest way to Badlands National Park was through the Oglala Sioux Nation, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and though a little apprehensive on driving through, it actually wasn’t bad at all. Much is made of how poor they are on the res along with drugs and crime, but it was alright with a lot of businesses looking successful. And many of the homes looked well cared for and tidy, which shows the difference between those caught up in drugs and those that are not. Though I must admit that we didn’t drive back through after dark as we went north and through Rapid City into the Black Hills and back into Wyoming. Also, our tax dollars have built some wonderful facilities within the reservation.
And I must say my smartphone pictures do not do the views justice below, as the views throughout the park are pretty epic. There are also a lot of overlooks to stop at, and towards the west massive prairie dog towns. As we drove onto the gravel Sage Creek Rim Road the prairie dogs would be right on the side of the road with most not even moving as we drove by. And though we didn’t see the buffalo herd, we saw a couple massive males down from the road and a couple younger ones right on the side of the road which was a treat. I can’t recommend enough a visit to Badlands National Park and South Dakota in general.
As an extra, while driving south on Hwy 85 in the boonies of Wyoming after dark, it’s not for the faint of heart as speeds on our 2 lane highways are 70mph. And you don’t notice them in the high beams because they blend in so well to the background, but as you get closer deer and what must of been a couple elk with racks were just a few feet off the shoulder of the road. And at one part I noticed a large red smear that went off the road, which must of been an elk sized animal being hit.
