Saturday, September 23, 2006
The Badlands....and now I know why!
After spending an hour or so walking and gawking at Wall Drug, we headed into the Badlands. If anyone ever wondered why it's called the badlands, they will understand within minutes of entering this area.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for the pioneers who found themselves faced with having to pass through this landscape. But I'm sure it must have played a role in Rapid City's very existence. I can just picture some hardy pioneer woman putting her foot down and refusing to travel another mile after getting out of the badlands and finding herself in the beauty of the Black Hills.
For this trip we spent the day with Jake and Bonnie, who were also workcampers here at the park. On a side note, it was nice to find out that even though they live in Florida for part of the year, they are originally from the same area in Ohio as Mark. Some times you just have those "small world moments".
Anyway, here are some photos of the four of us in The Badlands National Park. As you can see, Jack and Mark were much more adventurous than Bonnie and me. No way was I going to get that close to the edge!
The Badlands should be desolate. It's definitely a harsh, rugged landscape. But it also very beautiful. The day we visited the sun was bright and hot, and the sky seemed enormous. I wish I could explain how it felt to be there, but words just don't capture the spirit of many of the places we've seen. Pictures only begin to do so. That said, here's my humble photographic attempt at showing you what I saw.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for the pioneers who found themselves faced with having to pass through this landscape. But I'm sure it must have played a role in Rapid City's very existence. I can just picture some hardy pioneer woman putting her foot down and refusing to travel another mile after getting out of the badlands and finding herself in the beauty of the Black Hills.
For this trip we spent the day with Jake and Bonnie, who were also workcampers here at the park. On a side note, it was nice to find out that even though they live in Florida for part of the year, they are originally from the same area in Ohio as Mark. Some times you just have those "small world moments".
Anyway, here are some photos of the four of us in The Badlands National Park. As you can see, Jack and Mark were much more adventurous than Bonnie and me. No way was I going to get that close to the edge!
The Badlands should be desolate. It's definitely a harsh, rugged landscape. But it also very beautiful. The day we visited the sun was bright and hot, and the sky seemed enormous. I wish I could explain how it felt to be there, but words just don't capture the spirit of many of the places we've seen. Pictures only begin to do so. That said, here's my humble photographic attempt at showing you what I saw.
