Out West

Badlands...awesome. Storms were predicted for the evening, but judging by the sunset and the guy who checked us in, we were ok for the night. This is at the Badlands Interior Motel and Campground. Check it out, they have delicious sourdough pancakes. I will attest to their deliciousness. They are pancakes worth coming to South Dakota for. The park's not bad either.

Dinner was taters and onions with some Fat Tire beer, which they sold in the shop. It felt a bit like Top Chef, except not so top because it was potatoes and onions.

After dinner, we turned out the lamp and looked up. I know that even NJ is not much better than NY for seeing stars, and maybe I have seen other nice star viewing points, but wherever they were, this replaces them in my mind. Hello, Milky Way!

Wednesday started with a hike. Pictures will not do it justice, but we clambered up a wooden ladder cabled to the rock wall, then walked out to a great view overlooking the landscape. On the loop back, we saw a momma sheep with her twins. They must have been mountain sheep, because I called them deer, then we heard a ranger call them sheep. Ok.

Onto Wall Drug! Whoa, shopping! Cowboy stuff!

Onto, wait, back to Badlands! Buffalo hunting. Spotting, really. On a very bumpy, gravel road. Have I mentioned the moving truck?

Buffalo are great, size and just as a general descriptor. We saw a herd, then set out for the dead presidents.