A Couple of Bad Asses in the BadLands

On Sunday, we found St. Michael’s in Sioux City, SD so we could go to church (just for you Mom and Dad) and ate lunch at Cracker Barrel. They have audio books, so we picked up a thriller I, Alex Cross by James Patterson that has been keeping us on the edge of our car seat!

On our way to the Badlands, we just HAD to stop at the Corn Palace! Who wouldn’t want to see a palace made of corn complete with corn murals and Corn Sessions aka popcorn? From there, we had about 3 more hours to get to Badlands National Park and that was just breathtaking! It’s just amazing that those geological wonders are in South Dakota! We also spotted some wildlife while there: mule deer (a mother and a fawn), bighorn sheep on the side of a mountain, birds, butterflies, and I’m pretty sure I saw some bison! Jon doesn’t believe me, but I know it!

Here are some fascinating facts about the Lands that are Bad:
-It was established as a National Monument in 1939
-The park consists of 244,000 acres; 64,000 is Badlands Wilderness where you can see bighorn sheep, coyotes, black-footed ferret, swift fox, rattlesnakes, bison, and mule deer
-The Highway 240 Loop that weaves through the Badlands takes about 60 minutes to drive
-It’s called the Badlands because French trappers called it “les mauvaises terres à traverser” – “the bad lands to cross”
-It’s the largest expanse of protected prairie ecosystem in the National Park system

OH! And I almost forgot to tell you: We saw and fed some prairie dogs! They were so darn cute, but then I found out later that they carry the plague and could possibly transmit it to us! YIKES! We’ll keep you posted on our plague symptoms… 😉

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