Day 4

We took in dawn as we drove through the Badlands. We stayed at Sage Creek campground, which is a primitive campground, but just wonderful in so many ways.

We put up the tent and I collapsed for 2 hours.

Badlands in August - beautiful, but HOT! And grasshopper covered. The grasshoppers made each step through the campground adventurous as the grass around you exploded.
After waking up, I made breakfast and then we headed into Wall for showers. We found a little RV park who was willing to sell us some showers.

We wandered through Wall Drug for a few minutes and then went to the Wounded Knee Museum (link). After touring the small museum for about an hour, we left depressed.

We made it back to Badlands as the edge was coming off the day's heat. We wandered took a short hike through some rocky cul-de-sac, until I hurt my ankle. I slipped on some loose dirt and started to fall. I caught my balance completely with my left foot, sending all of my momentum through the bonespur on my left ankle and into the fascia. So, ow.

So, we drove through the park, took a few less primitive walks, saw the gift shop, then made our way back to the campground. On the way, we saw baby mountain goats, tons of prairie dogs (the cutest infestation EVER*) and the buffalo herd is the distance.

I cooked up Brats for dinner, and we went to sleep under the amazing sky.


*I get that the prairie dogs are not an infestation. I get that they were here first and have lost ground, that they are to predators what grass is to deer or Subway is to Jared. They just look like an infestation - and the plague signs don't help.