Breathtaking Badlands! September 13th and 14th

Next stop Badlands National Park....the winds were kicking but I have never seen anything like this. This is the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the US. It was named by the Lakota people. They called the area mako sica - “bad lands”. This was because of the challenges with weather and how difficult travel was before it became a national park.

Fun Fact: The Badlands formations have a lifespan of approximately one million years. They erode at about one inch a year!

Okay...so Steve likes to boondock whenever possible. On this day he picked a spot on Campendium called the Buffalo Gap Grasslands. Minus the drive to the spot and the fact that we were on the edge of a cliff (eroding one inch per year!)...this place was definitely worth the panic attack! Once I was able to sit down with a cider in hand, I could not believe my eyes. We had a panoramic view of the South Dakota Badlands! We certainly were not the only big rig there which gave me comfort (not so much Steve). We were also able to watch the Monday night football game NOT in a campground!

The next day we head to a Harvest Host in BUFFALO, North Dakota - Red Trail Vineyards.