After we left our campground near Pipestone, MN, we headed west towards the Badlands. We drove through miles and miles (and miles) of open, beautiful land, part of the Great Plains region. Our next stop was at Left Trace campground, a Core of Engineers (COE) park along the Missouri River, about 60 miles southwest of Pierre, SD. We had “buddy” spaces, so our RVs were “butt to butt” – right on the end with a beautiful view of the river. The only problem was it was SO windy (and chilly). Our first full day, after our morning walk (and Helen jogged…you go girl!), we stayed inside most of the day.
Pierre is the capital of South Dakota. Fun fact: Pierre (pronounced “peer”) is the second least populated State Capital. Can you guess which state as the least populated State Capital? I will give you a hint, it is in the northeast. Pierre, right on the Missouri River, was chosen due to its central location in the state.
Since there wasn’t much sightseeing to do in this area, we decided to drive over to Pierre and make it an errand day. On our way, we saw interesting silhouettes on a hillside (photo below). Upon arriving in Pierre, the guys dropped Helen and I off at a Laundromat while they headed to Menard’s (home improvement store). The laundromat had a pinball machine! I love pinball and played 3 games. It made doing laundry much more fun. When the guys returned, they each played pinball as well. Dave was the high scorer (this time – just wait, we will get you!). We had a great lunch at a local bistro then off to Walmart and grocery shopping at a Dakotamart. Grocery shopping in a new store is always an adventure.
As we were nearing the Badlands, we decided to stop by the Pioneer Auto Museum in Murdo, SD. Opened in 1954, this museum does not just have autos as its name implies, although they do have over 275 classic cars. They have 16 historic buildings, over 60 antique tractors, memorabilia, collectibles and yes, even old pinball machines. If only I had a quarter, I could have played one. My first car was a 1967 Mustang and they had one, except mine was white with red interior. This one was red with white interior. The museum also had a 1925 Stanley Steamer, a car powered by steam. It was one of Dave’s mom’s first cars. Fun to see those cars. We spent the night in the museum’s parking lot (they are a Harvest Host member – businesses who allow RVs to spend the night if a purchase is made). Two other RVs joined us to overnight in the parking lot.
The next day we made it to Badlands National Park. What a gorgeous park. There are peaks, gullies, buttes, and wide prairies. Such a diverse landscape. Plus American Bison, prairie dogs, antelope, bighorn sheep and more. Our first 3 nights were in the Buffalo Gap Grasslands where you can boondock anywhere in the permitted area, part of which is right on a ridge. Boondocking is a term where you can camp for free, usually in a undeveloped primitive area with no services. We found a ridge for our two RVs to park with a gorgeous view. Below are a few pictures of some of the landscape we saw on our drive in and our awesome camping spot. (Please click on the pictures for a full-size image). And, once again, a big thank you to Greg & Helen for sharing some awesome photos.
Greg, Helen, and I enjoyed 4.3-mile back country hike along Sage Creek (Dave stayed with Murphy – dogs are not allowed to hike in this National Park). The pictures just cannot capture the stunning beauty and the expansiveness of the area. We saw three bison while hiking and kept a healthy distance. We stopped by “Roberts Prairie Dog Town” on our way back – its just an area with lots of prairie dogs. I still don’t understand why they are called dogs when they are rodents and a nuisance to farmers.
Due to high winds forecast for the following night, Dave wisely suggested we move off the ridge down in the grasslands for a bit more shelter. Good thing! The 28 mph winds with gusts to 40 mph howled all night. We stayed connected to our truck as an anchor and put our slide in to be more aerodynamic. In the morning, it was 43°, but 32° with the wind chill. Brr. Greg and Helen, adventurous Minnesotans they are, stopped by early in the morning for Murphy and they walked up to the ridge. They saw a truck camper (which was right on the edge of the ridge) had fallen off its supports. Luckily, the occupants had not stayed in it overnight and the camper didn’t topple down the cliff.
We are off to do more exploring in the area, including a stop at the infamous Wall Drugstore in Wall, SD and the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. We learned the name of Wall Drug Store was named from the wall where we first camped.
In awe of the Badlands Beauty Brenda, Enjoying the ever changing landscape Dave, and I found yummy antelope poop in the grasslands while running free Murphy.
You are seeing some amazing sights! Thank you so much for doing this blog!
Believe it or not, wayne and I spent our honeymoon 66 years ago driving from Wisconsin to the Badlands. We decided against Niagara Falls because everyone went there. At any rate we drove west to South Dakota, took in the few sights, turned around and went back to northern Wisconsin and went fishing! I was awed at the unusual geological formations along the route and especially impressed with Mt. Rushmore. It was our first trip out of our home state. How things have changed for newly weds!
Your trip is so interesting. Love the photography and stories that accompany it.
Reta
Hi Rita – that sounds like a wonderful honeymoon. The formations are just incredible and I’m sharing more pictures on the next blog. I’m so thankful we spend several days here to really get to know and appreciate this area. Thanks for following along!
It’s beautiful seeing reading about this beautiful country through your eyes!
Thanks for sharing snd doing what your do!
And the awesome adventures continue….!
Love following your adventures, and can relate your experiences to some of ours. Scary to come across buffalo on a hike.
So cool that you have pals along on your amazing adventure!!