On our first official day, we rose early and drove straight to Badlands National Park. We found out when we arrived that it was the 100th celebration of the National Parks so our entry fee was waived. What a nice surprise! And what an amazing and special place. Our South Dakota adventure officially begins!
After taking in a couple of vistas, we enjoyed our first adventure on Notch Trail, a 1.5 mile trail that leads to a "Notch" in The Wall, where you can look out over the prairie and badlands.
Ron and I recreate our photo from 1994 visit to the Badlands...
The ladder to climb to and from "The Notch"
Funny guy Ron avoiding the dangerous cliff...
The girls climb up part of the wall...
Mom climbs into a crevice...
And we finally arrive at "The Notch"...
After our hike, we headed to the visitor center, where they were serving fresh squeezed lemonade and birthday cake to celebrate the National Park's birthday! Another nice treat!
After the visitor center, we continued our drive along the 30-mile Badlands Loop and took in some additional great views at several overlooks and were pleasantly surprised to see a big horn sheep enjoying the sunset along our drive...
After we left the Badlands, we headed to Wall Drug to try the famous maple donuts, drink free ice water, climb on the 6ft Jackaloupe, and buy some cheesy souveneirs. We then headed to our home for the weekend in Custer State Park, where a buffalo was ready to greet us from the side of the road. A great first day!
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