South Dakota! Who Knew? Certainly Not Me.
South Dakota! Who Knew? Certainly Not Me.
Badlands National Park & The Black Hills
Like many, I had never heard much in the way of positives about South Dakota. It’s all grass plains and boring highway truckstops. Oh, and Mount Rushmore is there. I’ve seen it lumped in on list-icles of the “Worst States in the US”, right up there with Indiana and Arkansas. As it turns out, these posts were woefully uninformed, as the western part of South Dakota is really quite beautiful, and it has plenty of variety to fill multiple days.
After the Minneapolis debacle, I was eager to get back on track. I was a couple days behind schedule, so I decided to cut the 3 days I planned to spend in South Dakota to just 2; one for Badlands National Park and one for the greater Black Hills area.
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| "Yellow Mounds" in the Badlands |
I had very little expectations, as I eluded to earlier, but did South Dakota deliver or what?! I spent a very long day at Badlands, trying to cram everything into what time I had. As it turns out, this was pretty easy. Badlands is a small park, and the road that cuts through it was the perfect way to see as much as I could. No, I didn’t venture off the beaten path too much. But I spent enough time appreciating the wild geological formations, reading about the history of the park, and viewing wildlife that I left satisfied, if not wildly impressed.
The highlight by far was the short but steep “Saddle Pass” hike, which led to a miraculous panoramic view of the park. Another highlight was the first up-close wildlife sightings of bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs.
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| Panoramic View from the top of the "Saddle Pass" Trail |
In the Black Hills area, famously home to Mount Rushmore, I had just as grand of a time. My free campsite was right on the backside of Mount Rushmore, so unfortunately I became all too familiar with the nauseating touristy area, filled with kitsch gift shops, confederate flags, and way too much American pride for my taste.
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| What the final Crazy Horse Memorial will look like |
I much preferred the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial, which was fascinating, while being sad and uplifting all at the same time. I’d highly recommend checking it out if you’re ever in the area (or god forbid considering going to Mount Rushmore). I’m looking forward to going back later in life to see the progress, as it is not yet finished.
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| A nosey donkey at Custer |
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| Triumphant Billy Mills winning the 10k at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics  |
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Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota |
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