(click pics to enlarge)
I remember a particular tourist on one of my many excursions into the Badlands...he wasn't talking to me directly, but speaking loudly to a couple of other people with him...and he said "This place is boring! There's nothing to see or do!"
What a pity his life must be.
In fact, at every turn, the scenery changes. At every angle of the sun the scenery and colors change. There is so much "Life" to be seen that I can't fathom why someone couldn't see it. *sigh*. Welcome to a day's journey along the loop road through Badlands National Park in southwest South Dakota (once again)...
It is an eerie landscape, to be sure...half canyon, half moonscape...and the music I wrote to the video postcard I made 2 years ago befits the mysterious beauty (link at the bottom). And yet, one need only search for info on Chief Big Foot...The Ghost Dance...Wounded Knee...and realize the painful and deeply saddening history that took place right here, and not all that long ago....
When it's warm and dry, it's a veritable wonderland to explore...the summers can get painfully hot, and the winters bitterly cold...but that Badlands soil is something to behold when it gets wet, and travel can easily become impossible...
Creatures like the baby Bighorn above adapt well to the harsh landscape, finding plenty of food to graze on, their sure-footed hooves helping them traverse the landscape with ease...
Too, there are numerous dinosaur fossils that emerge in the silty landscape after heavy rains, and are fully protected and monitored...the likes of T-Rex and Triceratops...I can only imagine what indigenous peoples thought of these huge bones when they saw them many moons ago...
While there is basically the one giant paved loop through this incredible national park, there are many spurs and trails to hike...and within yards you'll be out of sight of roads and traffic, and immediately immerse yourself in a strange but wonderful world."Spring Day In The Badlands"
video link
1 comment:
One of my favorite places, Bob --- thanks for sharing!
And yes, what a pity that man's life must be, "nothing to see or do" ..... there are NONE so blind as those who choose not to see .....
I had the privilege of driving the Badlands Nat'l Park loop road in Sept '02 --- a glorious, hot, crystal clear, late-summer afternoon as I recall.
I was awed by the creation of the area by thousands of years of wind and water erosion, as well as the yearly freeze/thaw cycles on the Great Plains!
I remember learning in my exploration that day, that the rich fossil beds date to 28 - 37 million years old.
As an staunch environmental activist, I also know that in recent years non-native plants and grasses have been introduced to the area (ugh!), and these thistles, weeds, and exotic grasses crowd out the native plants, and monopolize the precious and limited water resources in the Park. The National Park Service and environmental activist groups are working to eliminate the non-native plants, and thus encourage the growth of the native ones.
I also know that maintaining air and water quality are high priorities of the Park. An area of energy development to the west of the SD Badlands has been identified as a potential source of air and water pollutants within the Badlands.
Thanks again for sharing your beautiful pics! I'm feeling a bit "homesick" ..... !!
Suzy :)
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