Sturgis - Badlands

Badlands National Park

They always say, save the best for last.  I don't know if we really saved the Badlands for last, but it just worked out that way.  Since the Badlands Scenic Loops starts in Wall, SD (from the west) it meant it was a 100 mile ride for us to get to them from Spearfish.  And we had simply run out of days while were were there to take a 250+ round trip to ride the Badlands.  So when Rhonda and I decided that cutting the return trip by a day was a bad idea, we had a whole day Saturday to get 450 miles up the road.  Planned right, that left us plenty of time to ride the Badlands on our way out of South Dakota.

I will admit when we got to Wall, I almost said we should just go on.  But Rhonda said we had to ride the Badlands cause we would probably never come back.  I think she was trying to eliminate any excuse to make her ride 2000 miles to Sturgis again, but either way it was the right choice.

Awesome view from the rim

There is no possible way to even describe the Badlands.  It is like something out of a movie set.  Either a science fiction movie or an old western.  The park is about 10 miles south of I-90.  And when you enter the park, you are instantly in the Badlands.  If you stop at the first turnoff, you can walk over and look into an abyss of cliffs that look like something a giant kid has made with wet sand at the beach.  I don't really know how else to describe it.  As you ride on, you start down into the base of the Badlands, and that is where it really gets awesome.  Giant rock-only mountain-like formations tower above you on the motorcycle.  This is where Rhonda and I really appreciated the fact we were on a motorcycle instead of stuck in a car.  You could look in all directions without being hindered by the roof or windows of the car.  And you felt mighty small.

Perfect Motorcycle Riding

The roads in the Badlands are perfect for a casual sightseeing motorcycle ride.  Tons of places to turn off and take pictures of the formations or of the wildlife, and a slow pace with sweeping turns are easy to maneuver and still take in the sights.  Rhonda got some good pictures of the tons of prairie dogs that were scurrying around in the fields.  They were pretty cool, but I suspect anyone who lives in SD would laugh at us taking pictures of their squirrels.  There was probably more wildlife to see, but we ha a limited time.  The park allows hiking but even if we had the time, the sign warning of rattlesnakes would have kept Rhonda from venturing out.  I was intrigued by the sign, I have to admit.  I like snakes, but maybe the Badlands Rattlesnakes are a little out of my league.

I was not more in awe of anything I saw on the entire trip.  The Black Hills were great and very beautiful.  Wyoming was expansive and breathtaking.  But the Badlands made you feel so small and frail.  First, no one could even imagine something like this if they had not seen it.  Next, the fact that they are just "there".  they seemingly spring up out of no where.  Instantly after leaving you are back in the grasslands with no hint of something as ominous as the Badlands.

Us, having a blast!

I can say that I enjoyed my ride through the Badlands the most of the trip.  I wish we had more time to ride the drive in both directions.  The views from the opposite direction would have been totally different.  I wish we had time to walk and hike around.  But, there wasn't the time.  Somehow a 2000 mile trip staring you in the face will make you think you have to keep moving.  So maybe I do have at least one more excuse to come back!