BAD BADLANDS

Evening, June 20
We started our visit to the Badlands by pulling into our KOA "kampground" at about 11:00 pm. We were beat, but in just a few minutes we were set up for the night, and then we were sitting and looking up, right into outer space. The zillions of stars were brilliant in the perfectly black moonless sky. The next morning, we discovered we had a nice little camp.

We hit the road in the morning, setting out to visit the Information Center, and then drive through the best part of the Badlands National Park. Terry has something to say about our experience at the info center.
Once we were touring again, we were excited to be in "The Badlands", but we were soon underwhelmed. Having spent our lifetimes in the arid West, the Badlands really wasn't such a big deal at all. It was very interesting, and certainly unique, but I see worse badlands every day in Henderson, Nevada.

The wildflowers, however, were world class! Just beautiful. --Tom
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The badlands wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the people. Maybe I’m too much California but really, the further East we go, the more oblivious, careless and obnoxious people have been. Every national park and tourist place has rules. In Yellowstone, everybody seemed fine with that. Of course there are good and obvious reasons for staying on the paths and wooden walkways. You could get boiled alive. But by the time we got to Mount Rushmore, people were doing just about anything but following the rules and they were encouraging their kids that that was ok. Good thing that place is mostly concrete. One family was letting their four little kids run around playing games in the restaurant. Outside, no one was staying on the paths; they were climbing walls for photo-ops, using the steps for workout equipment. It was just boring and upsetting. At the Visitor’s Center at the Badlands National Park, we just had to get out of there. People were yelling, reading all the signs in their loudest vices, letting their babies cry. It was worse outside. There again, there were paths and wooden walkways, designed to protect environmentally sensitive areas. Signs everywhere saying “Stay on the paths” and “Watch for rattlesnakes.” But people were scrambling all over the hills, tramping on what few plants there were, climbing the cliffs. Maybe the damn relentless wind here makes people more independent, more incorrigible, less interested in following rules. Or maybe I’m getting old and crabby.