August 17: Beauty in Badlands

Today I drove through Badlands National Park and was moved to tears at the stark beauty of the dramatic landscape and its ancient, untamed vastness. It’s 242,756 acres (379 square miles) of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed-grass prairie in the United States. More than once I found myself overwhelmed because it was non-stop beauty, coming at me on both sides, punctuated with oh-shit moments like turning a tight curve to find a steep grade that keeps curving. Thankfully there were pull-offs throughout the park where I grounded beneath towering formations, soaked it in, and took photos that don’t capture it all. I felt like I was in a temple, it was sacred.

Since Lake Superior, I have felt as if I am expanding into into the openness. And I felt more of it today. Tonight I am half way up a hill overlooking a wide area, populated by cows in the distance, and campers and tents spaced far apart. The sunset was colorful, and now it is so dark it feels thick. I am blessed with this boondocking spot because Elaine, whom I am going to visit, told me about it.  

I want to go check for stars, but I am hearing all kinds of odd noises outside the bus.

Fun Facts:
• The land was once the Oglala Sioux Indians’ reservation, but the US broke the treaty in 1889.
• During WWII, the US Air Force took possession of 337 of Badlands as part of its air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery ranges.
• Parts of the movies Dances With Wolves and Thunderheart were filmed in the park.
• Four species of wildlife were reintroduced into the Badlands since its establishment as a National Monument in 1939. The black-footed ferret, bighorn sheep, bison, and swift fox, once exterminated from the area's mixed grass prairie, are again thriving in their native habitat. Wildlife also includes pronghorn, the black-tailed prairie dog, the black-billed magpie, mountain lions, and various bird species like burrowing owls and golden eagles. (Check out Facebook for the photo I took just outside the park of a prairie dog looking at a bison.)
• I got in free with my Senior Park Pass – only the third time I’ve used in since I got it in 2018.