Day 11 Badlands are baaaad

Since it was going up to 86° today in desert-like conditions, we got an early start exploring this unreal terrain.The breeze is constant so it never got too bad and was even cold at night. Took many short hikes to breathtaking overlooks. Over 500,000 years ago, rivers changed their flow direction and cut across this area, eroding the land into the spectacular formations we saw today. Turned off the paved road onto a dirt artery searching for wildlife and was not disappointed. Observed majestic horned sheep on some ridges. Sadly, over half of the population have died in the past 2 years from lung disease. There were multiple “towns” of prairie dogs known as “little farmers”.  They stand watch for the bisons. We encountered 3 bison herds on our travels. Hunters slaughtered an estimated 30 million in the 1800’s and early 1900’s nearly making them extinct. The Lakota Indians also had a strong presence here arriving in the mid-1700’s.  They were superb horseman and hunted the bison with bow, arrow and spear but did not kill more than they could use or eat. Actually, humans have inhabited the Badlands for 11,000 years. There are still some ranches in the area. We saw modern day cowboys tending their cattle herds, also a sneaky coyote. In 1900 the government “bet you 160 acres against $18 that you’d starve to death before you lived on the land for 5 years.” This brought many farmers who worked the land and lived in sod houses until the drought of the 1930’s. Huge dust storms choked the families and land driving the settlers out. Wind grew stronger as the day went on so I can imagine the dust storms. Sunsets are supposed to be spectacular so we drove back into the mountains after an afternoon rest. Clouds obscured the final descent but it was still worth the drive. The mountains and knolls made me think of the moon’s surface. So surreal. Packing up and a short drive to Custer State Park, SD tomorrow. 

Our campsite in the distance.