Badlands to the Prairies

Trip Start Oct 01, 2008
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Trip End Oct 27, 2008


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Where I stayed
Farm Island Recreation Area
(Pierre hotels)

Flag of United States  , South Dakota,
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

It seems like a long time since we left Rapid City, but it is just two days. What a difference in landscape since then. After our departure from Rapid City, we encountered mile after mile of signs advertising Wall's Drugstore, our next stop. It is a block-long conglomerate of items ranging from camping equipment to drugs, from artworks and pottery to books, and clothing and shoes for all ages to ice cream and doughnuts. They have added a backyard set of shops and washrooms across the alley from the main store, but much of this section seemed closed for the winter.
 
Our next stop was the Visitor Centre for the National Grasslands, where we found out that the grasslands are managed by the Dept. of Agriculture and can be leased for grazing or used for hunting, fishing, hiking and camping. Parcels of land have been acquired in a chequerboard fashion all over the states. Over time, some of these parcels have been traded for others so that the grasslands form contiguous blocks to ease the management of the lands Badlands of South Dakota
Badlands of South Dakota
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Leaving Wall, we entered Badlands National Park.  The Badlands are deep canyons, high spires and hoodoes formed by erosion of layers of rock and clay laid down by periods of sedimentation during periods the area was covered by an inland sea and layers of ash from volcanic eruptions. The lands are fantastical and ever-changing as erosion continues today. Just before we came, there had been a very heavy rainfall and we could see signs of how it had washed down more clay into the bottoms of the canyons, leaving whitish streaks of mud. The Badlands are inhabited by many animals, including deer, pronghorn, mountain sheep, prairie dogs, swift foxes and red foxes, and even some bison.
 
Travelling north, the land became flat prairie with many large fields of crops including corn, sugar beets, flax, wheat, hay, and safflower interspersed by grasslands and beef operations. We arrived at our destination, Pierre and found our campsite, Farm Island Recreation Area which is north-east of the city on the Missouri River. During the 1930s, a Civilian Conservation Corps team built a causeway linking the island to the mainland, creating a lake. They also built trails and park amenities which are still in use today. The park was warm and sunny, so we enjoyed a walk around the island, had dinner and built a campfire to enjoy the evening sunset.
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