June 2007 ...........

Badlands: It's 634 miles from Topeka, Ks. to the Badlands Natl. Park. We know that, because we drove it in one day. Not the smartest thing to do, but we had a prior commitment, and had to meet the Newmar group in Spearfish SD in two days, and we wanted to stop in the Badlands. Another not smart thing we did was stay at the Badlands Ranch - a Passport America Park. The price was right, but what they don't tell you is that you have to go through the Natl. Park to get there - not a problem for us because of the Golden Age Passport. The other thing they don't tell you is it's four miles down a gravel road. The coach was all cleaned up for the Newmar International Rally and four miles of gravel road was not what we were looking for.
State Highway 240 follows the 32 mile loop and treated us to some breathtaking scenery in the 244,000 acre park. The loop is in the North Unit and is the best known and easily explored area. It includes the 64,000 acre badlands wilderness area, Cedar Pass, where you will find the visitor center, and many overlooks. The park is one of the largest protected mixed-grass prairies in the US. It was named a National Monument in 1929 and a National Park in 1978. There are many hiking trails, and one could spend several days exploring the park. We were surprised at the rock formations and the colors. Not what we had envisioned the "Badlands" to be.

June 2007 ...........

Badlands: At the RV park we had a bad storm come up, The photos below show how the sky looked before the storm and what a beautiful sunset we had after the storm. You probably have to be from tornado country to appreciate the gray sky that is associated with a storm like this one. We were in a tornado watch that night, luckily the storm went around us. These are two different windmills.

June 2007 ...........

Badlands: Just outside of the Badlands NP is a well preserved historic farm, built in 1909. It was homesteaded under the Homestead Act of 1862, where you got 160 acres for $18.00, you had to start construction within 6 months and 10 acres had to be planted in crops. It's a quick, interesting stop.

June 2007 ...........

Wall: The town of Wall is one of the towns nearest to the Bad Lands NP, and the home of Wall Drug. The store was purchased in 1931, in the middle of a 231 person town referred to as "in the middle of nowhere". The owners wife advertised "free ice water" to travelers and the store grew quickly. It is a cowboy themed shopping mall/department store that contains a western art museum, a chapel and many other goodies to tempt tourists.By 1981 Wall Drug claimed to give away 20,000 cups of water per day in the peak of tourist season. They also give away free coffee and donuts to truckers, honeymooners, priests, hunters, veterans, and other travelers. They have over 500 billboards on I-90, all the way to Minnesota, and claim to spend an estimated $400,000 a year maintaining them. As you approach on I-90 you can see an enormous 80 ft. Apatosaurus, so the store is difficult to miss.

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