Badlands National Park

    We visited the Badlands last time we drove out west, but the weather wasn't the best so we were all looking forward to returning and exploring the park more. The campground was the breeding ground for all mosquitoes in the Great Plains so we didn't spend much time there. The plus side was that we were forced to explore most of the time.

    After seeing a billion signs for the famous Wall Drug Store we decided we had to give it a look. We had some pretty bad food there and wandered around the tourist trap for a little while before agreeing that it wasn't for us. We drove back to our campground through the park and enjoyed the sunset hitting the walls of the Badlands.

    The next morning we got an early start to beat the heat and the crowds. We did a fun little hike to a great viewpoint that had the side benefit of being very birdy. Our next hike was more challenging as he had to ascend a very steep trail to get to flat prairie above the buttes. It was fun seeing the rocks change color as we went up though; it was like we were traveling through geologic time. At the top, we wandered down a trail through a pretty meadow, but our legs started to itch from brushing against all of the grasses.

    The way down was even trickier, but somehow we all managed to keep our butts clean. We took it easy after that and found a ranger giving a talk about the fossils found in the park. The kids then took their booklets to the visitor center to earn their Junior Ranger badges.

    Our visit ended with a long drive through the park's scenic drive. We were searching for Bison and managed to find two. Tons of prairie dogs, a herd of bighorn sheep, and a few burrowing owls kept us entertained the rest of the time. It was a great trip to such a unique place.