Badlands, South Dakota

After we left Chicago and continued the westbound leg of our journey, I knew I was in for a few days of hardcore driving. As you head towards the centre of the States the sheer vastness of the country becomes almost disorientating.  Huge chunks of Iowa and South Dakota are wide open areas of farmland and grassland.  It's easy to drive a distance equivalent to that between Cornwall and Manchester and not see much more than a few farms and a couple of billboards telling you that your next burger is on the way in only 300 miles!

This is actually a time lapse photo with an exposure of 3 days:

Not really, but you get the idea.  I'm not saying I got complacent, but this was my driving position for about 500 miles:

I did have to adjust the steering wheel slightly at one point to navigate a very tricky 2° bend, but luckily I'd seen it on the horizon about 20 minutes before so I think I nailed it.

We'd expected this part of the trip, so we used it as a good opportunity to make up some time and settled in for a few long days of driving on the way to Badlands.

#We did come across one unexpected distraction on the way, which was the "1880 Town" just outside Murdo in South Dakota.  It's basically an old west town that's been reconstructed from original buildings in the area, including homes, saloons, a church, stables, jail, etc.

It could easily have been quite cheesy but it was genuinely interesting.  All the buildings are full of collected artifacts from the time, from Indian relics and items from the General Custer period to Buffalo Bill cowboy stuff and antique machines and vehicles.

The staircase of the hotel still bears the scars of the cowboys' spurs, made before the building was moved there from another part of South Dakota.

On to Badlands itself, which shot unexpectedly into view over the flatland not too long after we left the 1880 town:

The rocky turrets and ridges, shaped over time by wind and water, have a kind of bleak beauty and form an entirely different skyline to the city lights we left behind in Chicago.  The park's 244,000 acres also contain one of the world's richest fossil beds as well as prairie land where thousands of bison and bighorn sheep roam.

When we entered the park, I asked if the road to the more remote of Badlands' two campgrounds was suitable for RVs.  The response was "Errr, I think I've seen some people try it before...".  Good enough!

We followed part of the 40 mile loop road to Sage Creek campground and after about 12 miles of bone-shaking gravel road, finally made it in one piece.  Well, two pieces actually - a piece of rubber fell from somewhere overhead and we never quite managed to work out where it was supposed to go!

It wasn't long before we got acquainted with the local wildlife.  You wouldn't think we would recognise the sound of a rattlesnake hissing and shaking its tail, but thankfully it made the right kind of noise to stop Sharon from accidentally stepping on it:

A northern black widow spider also managed to live with us rent-free for the night after we failed to dispose of it quick enough and it ran up the windscreen and behind the TV!  I sprayed about half a can of fly spray behind there and as soon as I started the engine the next day, it fell down on the dashboard and died.  I'm taking the credit for that one.

We made our way to the other end of the park where some hiking and bike trails can be found.  After setting up camp we cycled to a couple of the trail heads, starting with the "Notch" trail.  This was only a short walk really but fairly taxing, taking you through a stunning rock canyon, then up a log ladder, before forcing you to negotiate a fairly precarious ledge.

The real payoff though was the view from the top; one of those moments that really reminded us why we're here:

We timed it just right to cycle back down the hill to camp before the weather suddenly turned and starting battering us with hailstones.  Here's a video clip of the descent back down the hill.  Sorry about the shakiness but in fairness, I was riding down a mountain one-handed at about 35mph:

Back at camp, as I struggled even to put the bikes away in the gales and sleet, I spotted another guy battling heroically with his tent.  I went over and offered some help and shelter if he wanted it.  When they'd eventually made sure everything was strapped down, he and his wife came over to the RV.  Andrew and Jackie were doing a trip the other way across the States with their toddler, Ezra, eventually ending up in North Carolina.

The weather didn't get much better that night and they eventually ended up staying over, so we had a fun evening of swapping stories.  It was great actually to spend some time with people our own age; most people we've met have been a lot older, particularly the RVers.  And after a couple of beers, my intellectual level is about the same as a toddler's, so Ezra was also perfect company!

The next day we tackled a couple more mountain trails before getting back on the road.  Next stop Yellowstone...