“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”
Psalm 104:24
Honestly, I was not looking forward to the Badlands. I did not know that much about the area and based on the name and location, I was expecting flat dry nothingness. I could not have been more wrong. The Badlands are breathtaking and the wildlife is unbelievable. After driving for 4 hours through farmland (and Wall Drug Billboards!), you come over a hill and off to the left are incredible land formations. We could not believe it!
We spent our first two nights at a campground in Wall, home of Wall Drug, the place of free ice water, 5 cent coffee, homemade donuts, and souvenirs galore! We spent the last night at a beautiful boondocking location where campers park along a cliff overlooking Badlands National Park. I cannot even describe the beauty that was right outside our front door. It was also a little bit scary, especially when the high winds started up!
I think the most memorable thing about the Badlands was the variety of God’s creatures that we encountered! Grant desperately wanted to see a Bison and we were amazed when we just drove right up next to a herd of bison grazing among more prairie dogs than we could count! We continued to find bison, pronghorns, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs throughout the park. It was incredible!
We also loved driving the Badlands Loop road, hiking the Notch trail, exploring the visitor center, and watching the sunset over the Badlands. It was a stop we will never forget!
Oh, and a big week for Tate! He got his first tooth and started eating baby food! 😉
