Well, when we turned into the Badlands last night, we were confronted with an awe-inspiring sunset. We found a campsite at the edge of the Badlands and attended a ranger's talk. Tired from our long drive, we turned in early, only to be rudely awakened by a set of enormous thunderstorms that shook us from our serene sleep. The pounding rain on the tent, the electricity in the air, and the fear of a flooded campsite kept us up for a few hours.
We awoke, however, to dry, if grey skies, and managed to find our way around the Badlands in the daytime. This formation of rocks and eroding hillsides is shocking and calls to mind one's idea of a moonscape (even if, as Abigail points out, one has no idea what a moonscape looks like). Photos of the Badlands are available here.
After leaving the badlands, we had an opportunity to tour a decomissioned nuclear missile launch facility, buried thirty-one feet into the South Dakota terrain. It was a pretty amazing and informative tour; it's quite impressive that we managed to keep everyone on earth from nuclear disaster for so long. Photos from that tour are available here.
After the tour, we headed to Wall, SD, whose famous Wall Drug is the epitome of a roadside tourist trap (photos are available here). It is the "South of the Border" of the West, with billboards as far away as Kenya. Nevertheless, we were successfully trapped, and we took advantage of the homemade donuts and pie. It was well worth the stop!
After Wall Drug, we stopped for a quick bite to eat in Rapid City (a cute town, photos are available here). Then, we turned South and headed into the Black Hills, where tomorrow we will visit Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Deadwood, before heading to Wyoming.
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