Badlands National Park

12^th July

The drive east on the I-90 took us along the edge of the Badlands National Park and introduced us to the scenery we were going to be exploring. 

We camped in the park itself and after lunch went to explore.  The hike up to The Notch was well worth it.  It took us up a wooden ladder and along a ledge to an opening high in the rocks where we could see to the south of the park.  It reminded us a bit of Bryce Canyon but without the   The rock is pale and looks like liquid mud which has been baked hard in the sun. The rain and wind have eroded it to form peaks and pinnacles and spires. 

colours.

The Badlands NP is surrounded by Buffalo Gap National Grasslands and the rocks suddenly jut up like a wall from the flat grass plains.  It was named the Badlands because it was a tough place to travel through and live in.  With approx. 18 inches of rain each year, there is enough for grass to grow, and a few trees at the base of the hills, but not sufficient to grow crops.  There are as many as 60 species of grass in this area and it used to support the vast herds of bison.  Many fossils continue to be found throughout the park. 

We returned to our camp site as the temperature was getting too hot for any more hiking. (It was at least 90F in the shade, if you could find any).  Despite using the air conditioning the RV just didn’t seem to cool down.  We got chatting to a couple, on holiday from Germany, with an RV they hired in Canada.

13^th July Wall Drugstore and Wounded Knee Museum

We travelled through the Park in the morning stopping at various overlooks.  We hiked up Saddle Pass trail which was only ¼ mile – but it went straight up!  It was clearly going to be a hot day as it

was already around 90F by 10am.

The road goes through Big Foot Pass which was where the Indian Chief “Big Foot” and around 300 Sioux (mainly women, children and elderly) travelled into the Badlands in the winter of 1890 on their way to Wounded Knee, some 65 miles away.  Anyone familiar with the Indian Wars history may have heard of the massacre at Wounded Knee.

On the way to Wall we stopped at the Fossil Trail to listen to the Ranger presentation, and learnt how this area was once under the sea, we also learnt about the fossils that have been found in this area.

The town of Wall, on I-90, is one of those enterprising success stories that America is known for.  In order to attract customers the owner of the drug store put out a sign saying ‘free iced water’.  Suddenly from being a one horse town, doing little business, they now have a booming high street full of gift shops, cafes and tourists.

Although the Wounded Knee Massacre Site is several miles from here the Story of Wounded Knee Museum, is in Wall.  It was a small but informative museum and there were some people in traditional Sioux customs performing some traditional dances. The museum concentrated on the native side of the massacre, it was a very depressing place to be.

On our way back through the Badlands Park we saw some Bison and several Prairie Dog Towns, as the little animals popped their heads out now and again.  We later spotted some Bighorn Sheep, with young, on the hills. 

The day just got hotter and hotter.  By the time we got back to the RV it was 98F inside.  Somehow the air conditioner unit was not achieving the desired effect as we sat outside in the shaded picnic tables provided in the campground.  Paul made a mental note to check the A/C at a latter point.

Paul spotted another Union Jack and went and chatted to the family who were from Stockbridge and Winchester of all places!  They are working in Detroit for a few years.  Then we met two University-students from Leeds camping in a tent. 

The Ranger presentation that evening was about the Black-footed Ferret  which is the most endangered mammal in USA.(for the HOV hashers, please check that our Ferret does not have black feet?)  At one point there were only 18 left but a controlled breeding programme has enabled the release of the ferrets into several national park areas along the Rocky Mountains.  We learnt they feed primarily on Prairie Dogs.  Prairie Dogs live in “Towns” which are burrows under the ground, similar to rabbits and can cover a vast area.  A form of Plague spread by fleas has been a problem for both these animals over the years and has been tackled by squirting flea powder down the holes of the Prairie Dog Towns.