Badlands

When you approach the Badlands from the east like we did, there's no indication of anything worth seeing when you exit I-90 at Cactus Flat. Be patient. Upon first glance, the Badlands will astound you.

(Note to travelers: there's a crummy little gas station in Cactus Flat. And NOTHING else. So, fill your tank and your tummy before you get here.)

How can I describe the Badlands? Unexpected. Picturesque. Stark. Eerie. Desolate. They appear to sprout out of the prairie like warts on smooth skin.

I tried to imagine how the pioneers felt when they first arrived here. The area is not very large, so they could easily have avoided them, but there's something about them that draws you near.

Thanks to the hour we gained by crossing timezones, we arrived before the Visitor Center closed. We grabbed some information about ranger programs and realized we had just enough time to check-in at the motel, eat a buffalo burger and sweet potato fries at the campground diner, and make it over to the amphitheater for the Night Sky Program.

Ma has always been interested in astronomy. The isolation of the Badlands makes it the perfect place to do some star-gazing. The rangers set up three telescopes for everyone to look through. Sadly, we weren't fortunate enough to see Saturn (it had slipped below the horizon before we had the chance to look through that telescope).

The highlight of my evening was the sing-along to Happy Trails, led by the ranger from Texas. He was great fun. He also had a green laser pointer which did a remarkable job of pointing out the astronomical features in the sky.



In summary, Day #1 was a grueling 12 hour drive, a pit stop in Mitchell, and a ranger program in the Badlands. Ahh, bedtime at last.