July 2021 - The Badlands

While driving across the country, and after a great few days in the Black Hills, we spent half a day visiting the Badlands. A bit of hiking, and lot of really interesting scenery!

Badlands!	It's a lot of 'em!	The road through the park sticks to the flat, fertile plateau, which has a surprisingly sharp boundary with badlands
Badlands!	It's a lot of 'em!	The road through the park sticks to the flat, fertile plateau, which has a surprisingly sharp boundary with badlands
The plains below are pocketed with badlands	A beautiful patch with reds and yellows, and green from the grass	Really beautiful color, something I wasn't expecting
The plains below are pocketed with badlands	A beautiful patch with reds and yellows, and green from the grass	Really beautiful color, something I wasn't expecting
	A verdant valley in the badlands	The road winding through a yellow, grassy area
	A verdant valley in the badlands	The road winding through a yellow, grassy area
		Climbing up yellow and red hills
		Climbing up yellow and red hills
The yellow patch, surrounded by dull whites and pinks	Action shot!	Looking out into the great plains, smoky from wildfires in the west
The yellow patch, surrounded by dull whites and pinks	Action shot!	Looking out into the great plains, smoky from wildfires in the west
A really cool ridge	A lot of beautiful structure
A really cool ridge	A lot of beautiful structure
The bands of pink are really beautiful	As are the amber waves of grass	It was super window in the exposed areas
The bands of pink are really beautiful	As are the amber waves of grass	It was super window in the exposed areas
	Queen of the badlands!
	Queen of the badlands!
A Dr. Seuss-style mountain	At the visitor center, which is oddly in the middle of the park	A beautiful western kingbird
A Dr. Seuss-style mountain	At the visitor center, which is oddly in the middle of the park	A beautiful western kingbird
	Aww, cute!	A delicious treat! I watched him catch it mid-air
	Aww, cute!	A delicious treat! I watched him catch it mid-air
He took the grasshopper in his mouth, flicked it up into the air, and then caught it again, swallowing it whole. Really cool to watch.	A western meadowlark	A really cool ridge
He took the grasshopper in his mouth, flicked it up into the air, and then caught it again, swallowing it whole. Really cool to watch.	A western meadowlark	A really cool ridge
There was a meadowlark right on top of a rock formation, with a delicious treat in his mouth!		Cliffs full of swallows nests
There was a meadowlark right on top of a rock formation, with a delicious treat in his mouth!		Cliffs full of swallows nests
Hiking through the badlands	Monument Valley style	What an odd phenomenon... a straight line through the rock and up the face, as if someone had carved it with a stick but surely natural
Hiking through the badlands	Monument Valley style	What an odd phenomenon... a straight line through the rock and up the face, as if someone had carved it with a stick but surely natural
This area was really cool, it felt like we were walking on another planet in a sci fi movie	Looking out past the badlands into the great plains
This area was really cool, it felt like we were walking on another planet in a sci fi movie	Looking out past the badlands into the great plains
	It felt like at any second a jawa might jump out from behind a rock
	It felt like at any second a jawa might jump out from behind a rock
A slightly lush canyon surrounded by nothing but bare rock		A seemingly obligatory stop at Wall Drug on our way out
A slightly lush canyon surrounded by nothing but bare rock		A seemingly obligatory stop at Wall Drug on our way out
Bit of a wild ride
Bit of a wild ride