August 20th 2009:
The air was chilly if not cold after the sun went down on Wednesday night. The sky was cluttered with stars until clouds rolled in around midnight and lifted by the time we woke up at eight a.m. South Dakota only allows a person to spend two to four hours at a rest area - even trucks. Unfortunately with only $15 for gas and a few dollars in change for food we had to take a gamble and spend the night at the rest area. The Chamberlain rest stop was peaceful and fairly modern.
The Chamberlain Rest Area features a nice Visitor's Center to the Mid-State region, also known as the gateway to the west and the Black Hills, which are westbound by several hours. The area, though flat is coupled with colorful rock amidst the prairie and high buttes. The VC is also houses a museum about Lewis and Clark and their time in the region. Here is an excerpt regarding the Corps of Discovery in SD:
- Sept. 16, 1804
The expedition sets up camp to dry their provisions following three days of rain. Near their camp, the explorers find great quantities of plums and abundant wildlife. Lewis writes: "vast herds of Buffaloe deer Elk and Anitlopes were seen feeding in every direction as far as the eye of the observer could reach." Interpretive sign located at I-90 Information Center of Chamberlain.
The town of Chamberlain is located roughly two hours east of Wall South Dakota and the Badlands National Park. It's population sits roughly around 2200 and is situated on the banks of the Missouri River. The River is magnificent and broad at Chamberlain, it is also at this juncture that the Missouri begins to wind northward towards North Dakota, and we will fall temporarily off the L&C Trail.
In addition to the L&C Center, Chamberlain SD is home to the South Dakota Hall of Fame and very interesting Alta-Lakota Museum and Cultural Center. When traversing I-90 through Chamberlain you'll find excellent views of the topography as you cross over the historical Chamberlain Oacoma Bridge.
We hit the road at eight a.m. with little gas in our tank. As previously stated we are running low on gas and have very limited funds until tomorrow. Our plan is to drive to the Badlands N.P. and camp in the park and spend the day hiking. Despite little food and gas, I can't complain. The sky is a crystal blue expanse with limited clouds and open prairie runs on either side of the highway. It's in scenery like this, though to some plain - I see God's magnificent hand.
Needing gas ASAP we exited nineteen miles west of Chamberlain in Reliance. I like that name - I'm relying on God and my faith on this journey as an American Nomad - I'm having to rely on him and trust that he will protect and provide me and my mom with shelter, food, and comfort no matter how uncertain or twisty the road may become.
I used our remaining cash (we still have a small amount on our credit card - $17) to fill up the tank 3/4th of the way full. I do not want to get stranded without gas - Triple A or not - that is a fate I'd rather not meet. I love the Oldsmobile, but it is a gas guzzler - 17 - 19 mph and costly when you are on the highway...at least it's running though...
After leaving Reliance it was approximately 90 more miles to the Mountain Time Zone (making time move back an hour), and 130 miles to the east entrance of the Badlands National Park.
We ran out of gas right as we pulled off the exit for the Badlands N.P. I charged $10 for gas on the card, leaving us $7 for food. Honestly that $10 didn't give us but a quarter of a tank, but we would make it work.
The Badlands is a GREAT park to visit, especially with the family. It's one of the most unique geological spots in the world and has a unique beauty as sandstone cliffs carved by years of erosion forms a radiant beauty and habitat for wildlife. The Badlands was formed as deposits from the erosion of the Badlands to the west deposited in the region, and then carved by a period in which an ancient sea settled over the region, and wind and storms and heat created this landscape - a landscape that's ever changing.
The region derived the name "Badlands" from early French Fur Trappers who thought the place looked lifeless and water was scarce, early homesteaders also felt the harshness of the land as the prairie ground is not conducive for agriculture (due to heat, deposits, and other natural forces) and it was a hard place to live. Part of this problem with early homesteaders is they didn't utilize the land for what it was and tried to maintain farming practices from back east, instead of figuring out how the land could be used the way it was...The grasshoppers and dustbowl caused problems with farming as well (and yes grasshoppers are EVERYWHERE in the park!)
The Lakota thought of the Badlands as Goodlands although they did refer it to land bad or mako sica. They learned how to use the season and buffalo and adapt to the plains way of life. The Lakota history in the area is inspiring and tragic as Wounded Knee occurred on the Park property.
The Badlands formations come out of the tall green praire grass, transitioning into canyons of sandstone. The features vary in color, height, and at times resemble minarets, castles, mounds and other features. Stratified layers in the fossilized sand stone tell the history of this place. Interestly enough the sandstone formations aren't that old geologically and might only last another few hundred years...as climate and extremities here constantly shape the landscape. However the sediment is old, though recently exposed.
Early on the Badlands became a marquee destination for fossil science. The fossils were collected and sent back east to cities such as Philadelphia and New York and helped push forward the emerging science of palentology. Specimens of many extinct species related to modern day animals such as horses, dogs, and alligators roamed the region.
The Badlands is home to many fossils, however out of all the fossils and multiple discoveries of new animal life, which once lived in the area - NO DINOSAURS - why? Well it's common sense really. The fact is that this area used to be a shallow and ancient sea and therefore - Dinosaurs, except ancient sea specimens would inhabit the area in population - the other animals found were those who lived near water and in a highly tropical environment. Dinosaurs did inhabit areas of N.D. and many specimens have been found in similar formations in the Badlands of Montana (yes Badland formations occur other places, but none are quite as unique as those in BNP).
The park isn't super big, but it's worth taking the time to explore. Bring plenty of water as the weather is extreme. Also wear a windbreaker - as it's very windy and sunscreen to protect from the harsh sun. From time to time it does rain so a rain poncho/jacket is useful to keep in the car or backpack!
There are several ways to enter the park. Costs for entry is $10 -$20 per car, but I recommend the National Parks pass for an annual fee of $80 - it's worth the money as you get into all NPS sites for free and help support our park system (which is poorly funded).
From the East you have Interior and the Northern entrances. We entered via Northern and proceeded through the colorful badland canyons to the Ben Reifel Visitor's Center and historic Cedar Pass Lodge. The VC is much nicer than when I first visited the park five years ago in 2004. It has top notch exhibits - great for the entire family. It's also a welcome spot to take a break from the Summer heat. The Rangers are helpful and can offer lots of advice on hiking and drive tour routes. The exhibits and video on the park are a must view for any visitor.
With are $7 left on the card we really couldn't afford a meal at the Lodge and needed to keep a few dollars left on the card in case we needed more gas before our money came. We opted for a lunch of Reeses Pieces (hey Peanut Butter is protein right?) and filled up our Nalgene bottles with water.
For the next several hours we toured the various turnouts and hiked up several small boardwalk paths including the Fossil Trail Exhibit (great for kids and adults), The White River Overlook, the Yellow Mounds Overlook, Pinnacles Overlook and many more Panoramic spots
After touring the main loop road and turnouts we decided to head on to the Sage Creek Campground, which is located off a gravel road - a little bumpy for smaller cars, but a great way to really experience off the beaten path attractions including wildlife viewing of Prairie Dogs, Buffalo, etc....
We briefly stopped at Robert's Prairie Dog Town. Prairie Dogs are amazing creatures who are sadly treated by ranchers, I'll go into more detail about this issue at another time. The prairie dog is a keystone species for the nearly extinct Black-Footed Ferret in the Badlands, and other animals in the region as they use their burrows for protection and Bison prefer land where the PD's have been because their burrow helps bring up the nutrious portion of the grass stalk. The Black Footed Ferret was thought to be extinct until a Wyoming resident uncovered some pups, they eventually began to reintroduce the BFF into the wild. The reintroduction in the park has been a success due to the presence of the Prairie Dog. The ferret is rarely seen, but is in the landscape - coming out at night and leaving it's mark on the landscape.
The BFF feeds only on PD's - so when ranchers shoot Prairie Dogs it has an adverse affect on the entire prairie environment and for the record - any arguments ranchers have for killing/poisoning prairie dogs is inaccurate and unwarranted - I'll discuss this later.
En route to the Sage Creek Campground we saw several bison. Bison are the largest land mammals in North America. I'll discuss them once we get to the Custer State Park and YNP logs.
The campground is really in the Middle of nowhere - but is also one of the coolest spots to camp. A prairie dog town is right next door, along with high bluffs and wide plains. The wind was ferocious at best, nearly blowing me down like a pixie stick and it blew it's windsong. It was hard to think about anything, standing on our campsite except negating the power of the wind. It entered my ears and my lungs. We quickly realized setting up a picnic area with our books and my notebook was next to impossible. Instead we chose to walk against the wind, visiting the Prairie Dog town and walking up a ridge. We also saw a lone Bison guarding the gates to the campground.
I honestly wanted to stay awake and look at the wide expanse of stars fill the sky as the sun faded into night, but I was exhausted. The travel and stress of the move had worn me thin. With the wind whistling like a lullaby, I fell asleep at seven and didn't wake up until daybreak...
Links:
http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/LCtrail/Timeline.htm - Lewis and Clark in South Dakota Guide
Badlands info: http://www.nps.gov/badl/
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