Day 7--Valentine to Badlands and beyond!

Badlands and surrounding
area under water 75 million
years ago

Remember the question yesterday about why there are sand hills in Nebraska? Well, today I got verification of the answer. While we were in the Badlands National Park, we took a walk along a new display boardwalk where replicas of fossils found in the Badlands were being displayed. One of them showed a picture of what this part of the country looked like 75 million years ago. Since this whole area was under water at the time, it seems logical that over time some sand would remain!

Now that that issue is settled, let's talk about today. Early this morning as we were driving to the Badlands, I asked Smoky what that area was like. He said it was an area with a lot of erosion that wasn't much use to anyone. I asked why we were going to see it. He said that I would just have to wait and see.

That seemed a little strange to me, but there were plenty of other interesting things to occupy me along the way. For example, we found white pelicans in a small lake along Highway 20 in northern Nebraska! That was quite a surprise. Apparently it isn't an unusual sighting for Nebraska, as the white pelicans fly north to Canada to breed each spring.

Abandoned house (by Smoky)

After we crossed into South Dakota, the landscape changed pretty dramatically. The ground leveled off, and fields, which were a beautiful fresh green color, were planted with what was probably wheat. In one spot we found an old, abandoned shack on one side of the road. Even though it was run down and overgrown, that didn't detract from the beauty of the spot. Across the road was a field with horses, including a mare with her very young colt. We parked the car, got out the cameras, and just stood in the road looking at these two scenes. The air was crisp, clean, and smelled and felt wonderful as you breathed it in. I was ecstatic! Even Lucky and Sparky seemed happy to have found this spot.

After a little more driving, we began to catch glimpses of the badlands. Wow! They were striking, even from a distance. Once we were driving along the park road, I kept exclaiming to Smoky about how phenomenal this place was. Every place you looked was surprising, almost other worldly. The ranger we talked to at the Visitor's Center encouraged us to walk wherever we wanted. That alone was unique for a National Park, in most of which visitors are encouraged to stay on the marked trails.

Badlands (by Smoky)

At the center I found a display with this saying on it:

Is not the sky a father and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings or roots their children?
Nicholas Black Elk, Lakota Spiritual Leader, 1932

In this particular park on this particular day, when the sky was so blue it looked polarized, and white, puffy clouds were dancing across the sky, Black Elk's words filled my heart. I felt so privileged to be alive and seeing the ever changing formations in this park. Those hills may not "officially" be alive, but they certainly seemed as alive to me as the bighorn sheep, the prairie dogs, and the meadowlarks that we saw today.

Badlands (by Smoky)

One thing we decided for sure today is that we needed a lot more time in this park that just part of one day. We both hope to return. Soon.

We had bison roast for dinner tonight at a great restaurant called Desperados in Hill City. This restaurant is located in the oldest hand-hewn log commercial building in South Dakota, according to owner/manager Dan Dickey. If you are ever in Hill City, don't miss Desperados!
—Shann