We broke down camp early in the A.M. so that we could be first in line for a tour of wind cave. This is a very fascinating natural chamber, and our ranger guide, Jasmine, was awesome! The best part of this tour is that the cave is always 53 degrees - nice and chilly.
Badlands National Park, on the other hand, was a giant furnace. It was 104 degrees outside by the time we reached this place, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Therefore, we did not do any hiking. We did drive the beautiful loop road, a scenic byway through the east section of the park. This was a fantastic drive with numerous overlooks to take in the park's unique stone structures.
As we continued east, we stopped at Wall Drug, a historic drug store that gained its popularity for free ice water back in the day. They still give out free water, so that was a welcome amenity! We also had 5 cent coffee and some donuts. Wall Drug is an interesting place - mostly just a tourist trap.
We ended our day in Plankinton, SD, which is a small town along I-90. This was a simple stop as we geared up for our longest drive of the trip ahead of us.
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| Our campsite at Wind Cave - saw lots of deer! |
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| The Natural Entrance. That tiny opening is how the cave was discovered |
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| We went in a different way and took 300 steps down |
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| Walking with our tour |
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| Some people had trouble getting down the steps |
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| Hi |
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| Hey |
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| Boxwork, which is unique to Wind Cave! Cool stuff |
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| Windy (not windy) |
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| Looks wet but we weren't allowed to touch |
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| One of the driest caves in the world overall |
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| Only lit by candlelight for a minute - so dark! |
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| Breakfast in Hot Springs on the way to Badlands |
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| Welcome the the Badlands! |
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| Badlands National Park |
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| Driving the Loop Road |
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| Awesome formations |
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| Overlook |
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| Pano |
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| Getting some shade |
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| Selfie |
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| Spot the Loop Road down there |
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| Windy (not windy) |
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| Right outside the windows |
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| Cheesin' |
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| That guy is cool |
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| Donut at Wall Drug |
Badlands you gotta live 'em everyday. Caves, our first shelter.
ReplyDeletePS Ice water is free at restaurants