I hate to sound like a broken record, but it’s been another stellar day. I still don’t know how to describe the Badlands….. bizarre, rugged, beautiful, unique, ever-changing, fill dirt with a lot of gravel….. they all apply. It’s a landscape that seems surreal. If you ever visit here, you must spend a full day at least. The Badlands look different from morning, to mid-day, to sunset. And the night sky is amazing, even with the smoke haze.
This was our coldest morning so far, but the wildlife was out! Mule deer, prarie dogs, lots of bighorn sheep, buffalo, pronghorns, magpies, and one coyote all made a showing today.
We covered just about the entire park each direction following the changing light. Finally got in a little gravel road riding too and took a short hike this evening. Don and I have both enjoyed the Badlands more than we expected. We highly recommend them. It’s like no place else.
We plan to break camp at first light and start our drone back to Indiana. I will be heading outside as soon as I finish this post and try to get some night sky photos to post tomorrow.
The Badlands are the result of two natural processes, deposition and erosion. Over the course of millions of years, multiple layers were slowly stacked on top of each other. Natural forces from shallow seas, rivers, wind, even volcanic ash contributed to the accumulation of the layers. The erosion began fairly recently, about 500,000 years ago as the Cheyenne and White Rivers carved through the landscape. They are eroding at a rate of one inch per year, which is fast in geoligical time. Scientists estimate that in another 500,000 years, the Badlands will have eroded completely. Better visit while you can!
TigerTracks 