We woke up on Day Four in Wall, South Dakota, one of the gateways to the Badlands National Park. The Badlands turned out to be the highlight of a packed and exciting (and windy) day!
We began our morning driving a scenic loop through the dramatic other-worldly terrain of the park. You’re just driving along the prairie, and then suddenly, the ground drops away on the side of the road and you’re in a scene from The Land Before Time. In my case, you’re also struggling to keep the car on a straight course through 50 MPH winds!
Adding to the drama of the terrain, you see a beautiful range of colors in the layers of rock and the plants growing around it.
What gives this area its name, you ask? Well, “badlands” is a general term for an area of sedimentary rock and clay-rich soil that has been eroded by wind and water. The result is a bunch of canyons, ravines, gullies, and buttes that are very difficult to traverse (thus, “bad land,” especially to the Native Americans that gave it its name). Badlands National Park is one of the best examples of badlands in the US.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the Black Hills of South Dakota and making our way into Wyoming (new state count: 5). These were the highlights:
- Philly in South Dakota – Driving up toward the Black Hills, we saw a building in the distance that didn’t fit in. It turned out to be a definitely-not-architecturally-accurate replica of Independence Hall, with a Liberty Bell replica in front of it. As a Philly-area native, I couldn’t resist stopping.
Was the Declaration of Independence actually signed in SD? 
The silliest part? The bell actually rings! - Mount Rushmore and the Surrounding Black Hills – We skipped the $11 fee and just drove past Mount Rushmore. It was so much smaller than I’d always imagined! Still, it was cool to check this national landmark off my list. It’s buried in an area of the Black Hills that has some amazing rock formations.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial 
I spy… - Devil’s Tower (WY) – Right after crossing into Wyoming, we took a scenic drive to Devil’s Tower, our nation’s first national monument! A destination of climbers, the spiritual, and fans of the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, it’s a giant wrinkly rock tower that seems to spring out of nowhere in the beautiful but otherwise consistent surrounding area.
Days Five & Six will bring us through Yellowstone, so stay tuned!
tuesday is yoga day 