Day Nine and Following

Friday, April 20, 2012

Paused for one last breakfast and set out along Hwy 44 for a grasslands
drive to Badlands National Park. Decided it wasn't worth driving miles
out of my to save a few cents on gas and filled up along the way. Passed
the town of Scenic on the way to Interior before entering the Pine Ridge
Reservation to find the Badlands KOA beside the White River. The place
is surrounded by that river, the Lost Dog River, and the highway.
Wounded Knee is a short drive further. The kampground is quiet save for
the Western Meadowlarks, Killdeer, and woodpeckers. The occasional deer
wanders by and the eagles and buzzards soar overhead. After spending a
day catching some rest set out on Saturday to tour the Badlands. Nature
provided cool weather, a sparkling azure sky and low-hanging fleecy
clouds for perfect photography. The gent behind the desk at the Visitors
Centre was ill-informed and the movie he showed was out of sync with the
house lights and the closed captioning. The park was spectacular.

On Sunday morning biked up to Interior, pop 70 to attend Presbyterian
Church. A congregation of fifteen worshiped in simple surroundings
accompanied by a pianist called in at the last minute. Rode through town
pausing at the general store I'd visited the day before where the meats
were all deep frozen, Bud Light seems to be the poison of choice, and
fresh fruits and vegetables hard to find. Interior has 3 bars, general
store, and gas station; a couple seasonal inns. Spent the rest of the
day quietly walking up to the height of land at dusk.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Today the sky was clear but hazy and the weather hot. Drove up Hwy 240
to see the Eastern end of the Badlands. At my first stop ran into a
young couple whose male member looked like an NFL Player. She was
concerned about non-existent rattlers. Without clouds the views lacked
Saturday's charm. At my second stop ran into a young man who was setting
off on a difficult trail without water or any tracking skills--buzzard
bate in the making. I did catch sight of a perched eagle. The drive up
to Cactus Flats was quiet. I did not stop to see the Minuteman Missile
Site or the oversized Prairie Dog Statue. For convenience grabbed I-90
back to Wall and parked at the National Grasslands Visitor Centre where
the staff were out to lunch.

Much of the rest of Wall was out to lunch as well. The restaurant opp
Wall Drug sported a flashing OPEN sign but all its doors were locked.
The Post Office was out to lunch. The one gift boutique that was open
had a stuffed animal exhibit which included a Polar Bear? I gave up and
went back to Wall Drug for a tasteless Grilled Chicken Salad--the greens
were fresh but the dressing had to be fought out of a blister pack. Back
at the Grasslands Centre the movie seemed long--not for children and the
picture was out of focus. Six Billion a year in revenues from Grasslands
in grazing rights, mining, and oil production. Definitely not a
recommendation for environmental protection. Drove back through Badlands
on roads I'd traveled Saturday seeing it in reverse order.