Today we begin our journey home. The first order of business is to get everything packed and loaded. Now, keep in mind that we began the trip with a jam-packed van in addition to a stuffed car-top carrier.We have five ladies and their luggage, bedding, lawn chairs, coolers of food, tubs of food, a chuck box for food prep and service, and a crock pot. We have eaten a lot of the food, but have added a fan, 2 foam sleeping pads, 3 buffalo skulls, 1 buffalo head, an elk antler, and all the souvenirs 5 ladies can accumulate over a week. Plus rocks. Lots of rocks. The folks in the neighboring cabin as well as the campground hosts are wondering if we can get it all home.
But where there's a will, there's a way! We stopped at a hardware store and an automotive store in Custer yesterday and found what we wanted - a cargo net. With Gin on top of the van and the rest of us assisting around the edges, we pile bags on top and lash them down. Harry the buffalo is sitting next to me, with 5 cowboy hats perched jauntily on his head. The skulls are wrapped in the foam pads and tucked into crevices. As we're finishing up, the campground hosts drive by in their golf cart and cheer, "You did it!" Yes we did! Without a single bit of arguing either! At 9:00 sharp, we're on the road.
There's always time for another photo stop. This place is so captivating we can't help pulling over to get one last look at the craggy mountains and vast valleys. We descend out of the park, and onto the rolling short grass prairie.
This land is harsh and unforgiving, but has a wild and rugged beauty. The hills seem to go on forever, hills behind hills behind more hills. It is so desolate, with few trees or landmarks. Just the hills, colored in rust, beige, and sage. The sameness of the landscape makes the few things we see stand out in stark contrast. Stacks of wildly colored beehives that look like Legos. A Sun Dance site, with prayer flags flying wildly in the wind from the Tree of Life. Yucca plants. A tepee. A sign that announces proudly, "Future Home of Pejuta Sapa Drive Thru Coffee Shop." This one makes us laugh. Just who is going to drive through? It seems someone's being wildly optimistic - we haven't seen a car for miles!
The land flattens out, and suddenly drops away into the pastel-striped gorges and pinnacles of the Badlands. Just as suddenly, the pavement ends and turns to gravel. There are road construction signs, but no equipment parked by the road to indicate there is something actually going on. Google insists we are going the right way, so we forge ahead. This is definitely the road less traveled.
Signs indicate we are entering Badlands National Park. Then leaving the park. Then entering the park again. Then leaving the park again. We finally spot a piece of road equipment, but there are plants sprouting on it. Not a good sign. Pushed by a gusty breeze, hundreds of weeds fly across the road like miniature ghostly tumbleweeds. We pull over to take a photo, well actually we just stop in the middle of the road since no one else seems to be using it. As we're standing there, an ancient Lincoln pulls up. We haven't seen a car for miles, and the minute we stop, one pulls up. It's an Indian in a cowboy hat, asking if we need help. No, we insist, we're fine. As he pulls away, he calls, "Sexy bunch!" We laugh nervously and quickly get back to the safety of our car. Shortly, the pavement begins again and a sign tells us we're leaving the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Just where the hell are we?!On the horizon, a sign of civilization appears. It's a ghost town with a gas station. Seriously, a brand new gas station in a deserted town. The town's name is Scenic (which it's really not), and the man at the station tells us it was founded in the 40's when farmers settled here, convinced they could eke out a living by farming. I don't know what they were thinking, because you can clearly see there is only
We find the Ben Reifel Visitor Center in the tiny town of Interior, population 94. The map board shows us where we went wrong - we have skirted around the perimeter of the Badlands, but if we follow the loop road from here, we will pass through the scenic heart of the Badlands and end up in Wall. We eat lunch at a nice lodge restaurant nearby. Dawn and I try Indian Tacos; we both enjoy the fry bread so much we buy mixes to make some at home. Now that we're back on track, we begin to see the interior of the Badlands - the canyons and gullies, the spectacular striated mesas and buttes - stretching off into the distance. The temperature has reached 88 degrees, and the sun is beating down from a dazzling blue sky. I wonder why every time I'm in the Badlands it's hotter than the hubs of Hell?
After just a single photo stop, we are suddenly at the park exit. Another wrong turn! So now we have to backtrack on Interstate 90 to Wall, and miss most of the scenic part of the Badlands. Drat! I wanted to do a little hiking and let Dawn experience the surreal terrain up close and personal . This is turning into a day of wrong turns. Note to self: do not rely solely on Google for directions - always have a map as well to double check!
We don't spend a lot of time at Wall Drug because we are mostly shopped out. It feels like we have already seen every South Dakota souvenir ever made. We want to put some miles behind us before dark, so get on the road for some serious driving.
We finally stop at a KOA in Mitchell, South Dakota. It's dark already, but we build a fire and prepare our last supper together - Cheesy Ham & Potato Soup, toasty grilled bread, and melted Brie. I mix up breakfast in the crock pot, and we relax around the fire and recap our incredible adventures. Everyone is missing their kids, and grand-kids, and significant others. It's time to get back to reality.
The moon is brilliant tonight, and shines brightly in our windows as we drift off to sleep. Goodnight, South Dakota moon!
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