• From: Crystal Lake, Il.
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 5,120

Topic: The Badlands

In late July/early August, my wife and I spent two weeks diving out west and back...4200 miles in all, with the main purpose being a visit to Glacier National Park, which some consider the crown jewel of the U.S. National Park system.

We decided to stop in the Badlands on the drive there.
Having researched GNP, I knew what to expect. I did no such research on the Badlands and was absolutely floored by the beauty and "other worldliness" of the landscape there. It was like being dropped on another planet and was (for me) the biggest surprise of our trip.

I thought I'd share some pics for anyone that's interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/billsta14/ … 5431405403

"Rock ON & Keep the Faith"
  • Registered: 2008-06-16
  • Posts: 4,021

Re: The Badlands

very nice pics Bill, quite stunning. I see why they called them "Bad" way back when, I may have seen some pics in a movie or somewhere but not up close like this.

As corn through a goose, so are the days of our lives
  • From: Maryland
  • Registered: 2012-05-13
  • Posts: 2,790

Re: The Badlands

Great pictures, Bill. We took our kids on a trip out west about 7 years ago and went through the Badlands as well. Before I looked at your pictures, I wondered whether you saw any of the mountain goats, and I see you did. We thought they were so cool as well as a whole prairie dog colony. This country has some of the most amazing land features. Did you happen to go to Utah to Bryce, Zion or Arches National Park. Talk about otherworldly. Bryce and Arches makes you feel like you're on Mars.  The orange rock formations are just incredible. Still haven't made it out to Glacier NP. Maybe someday.

  • From: Crystal Lake, Il.
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 5,120

Re: The Badlands

nmagcorn wrote:

Great pictures, Bill. We took our kids on a trip out west about 7 years ago and went through the Badlands as well. Before I looked at your pictures, I wondered whether you saw any of the mountain goats, and I see you did. We thought they were so cool as well as a whole prairie dog colony. This country has some of the most amazing land features. Did you happen to go to Utah to Bryce, Zion or Arches National Park. Talk about otherworldly. Bryce and Arches makes you feel like you're on Mars.  The orange rock formations are just incredible. Still haven't made it out to Glacier NP. Maybe someday.


We never made it to Utah. A full two days (total of 26 hours of drive time) driving in each direction left 7 days in Glacier and a day each in the Badlands (on the way there)and the Black Hills (on the way home). My first full trip out west has only piqued my interest in seeing more...maybe Utah next, lol.

"Rock ON & Keep the Faith"
  • From: Massachusetts
  • Registered: 2007-10-23
  • Posts: 1,929

Re: The Badlands

My (now) husband and I did the trip from Massachusetts to Yellowstone over 30 years ago.  One of the highlights was the Badlands.  Your pictures brought back a lot of beautiful memories.  Unfortunately all the pictures are on slides so can't share.  I really want to go back sometime - we do live in a beautiful country.  (We took the "scenic route" home - drove south to Tucson, then across Texas, up thru Nashville and then home - over 7,000 miles in twenty days, but saw a lot of cool places).

Sandy

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  • From: Maryland
  • Registered: 2012-05-13
  • Posts: 2,790

Re: The Badlands

All this talk prompted me to go look at some photos from our trip back in 2007. Turned out they were on an old flickr account I hadn't used in quite a few years. If anyone is interested, here are some photos from Mesa Verde, Arches, Bryce, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Badlands. Wonderful time in the camper.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9978463@N0 … 468979951/

  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,614

Re: The Badlands

Wow! That is so "otherworldly", thanks for sharing the pictures. Next time we get over to the States, our friends in Minneapolis have promised a road-trip to Mt Rushmore, including the Badlands. You've given me further impetus to get saving.

Glacier National Park, we have been through, albeit on the Empire Builder train when we went from Chicago to Seattle. Might have been a brief encounter, but to see the sunset there, and then dawn in the Cascades, great experience.

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Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
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  • From: East Lancashire, UK
  • Registered: 2011-06-24
  • Posts: 3,019

Re: The Badlands

Great shots and an area we must now try to visit  sometime. Certainly an impressive wilderness. Thanks for sharing. big_smile

Come on the Blades (sorry Idolbone just had to borrow your line)
  • From: North Lake Tahoe
  • Registered: 2013-04-20
  • Posts: 187

Re: The Badlands

WOW BILL!!    So glad you discovered such a great place and thanks for bringing back so many memories.

I hope you got to see the Crazy Horse Monument.

My Mom and I traveled thru there from the East Coast when I was re-locating to Lake Tahoe 35 years ago.
We had quite the adventure losing a tire and alternator on the '66 Dodge convertible at different times that same day and barely made it into the camp ground to set up a tent before the biggest storm I had ever slept out in came across the valley.

The next day we found a little service station that happened to be parting out a Dodge with the same kind of engine.

Bought a new tire and had quite an interesting conversation with the owner.  Ken Harvey really treated us right, to get us on the road.

My Mom and I stopped at the Crazy Horse monument when it was just an idea and one bulldozer with a roadside canopy tent and we gave a donation towards the construction.  It still is rewarding to see what that has become and a warm feeling for the gift we gave that day, small as it was.

I am also very familiar with Glacier National Park having taken the train in 1974 from New Haven CT to Laramie WY to meet a friend who graduated a year ahead of me, that had spent the summer working on a hay ranch in Colorado.

His brother worked in St Mary's Village and we spent a week there before driving home thru Canada down thru Vermont back to CT.
The Going to the Sun Highway is breath taking!  The mountains are different than any others I have seen.  It was where I saw my very first eagle in the wild, just sitting on a telephone pole like it was a blue jay, so casual.

I hope  more people would take a good old road trip thru our beautiful country.  I still remember the excitement of driving thru what others used to tackle on horseback and wagon.  It gave me a deeper appreciation of the courage to step out into the unknown for moths at a time.

Little did I know at the time I would go on to become the first woman, live on the ranch wrangler for Ponderosa Ranch and cover more that that in miles on the hour trail with a string of tourists behind me!  Life is too funny.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and for bringing back fond memories.

Tahoe Jo

Tahoe Jo
  • From: Crystal Lake, Il.
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 5,120

Re: The Badlands

tahoerimriders wrote:

WOW BILL!!    So glad you discovered such a great place and thanks for bringing back so many memories.

I hope you got to see the Crazy Horse Monument.

My Mom and I traveled thru there from the East Coast when I was re-locating to Lake Tahoe 35 years ago.
We had quite the adventure losing a tire and alternator on the '66 Dodge convertible at different times that same day and barely made it into the camp ground to set up a tent before the biggest storm I had ever slept out in came across the valley.

The next day we found a little service station that happened to be parting out a Dodge with the same kind of engine.

Bought a new tire and had quite an interesting conversation with the owner.  Ken Harvey really treated us right, to get us on the road.

My Mom and I stopped at the Crazy Horse monument when it was just an idea and one bulldozer with a roadside canopy tent and we gave a donation towards the construction.  It still is rewarding to see what that has become and a warm feeling for the gift we gave that day, small as it was.

I am also very familiar with Glacier National Park having taken the train in 1974 from New Haven CT to Laramie WY to meet a friend who graduated a year ahead of me, that had spent the summer working on a hay ranch in Colorado.

His brother worked in St Mary's Village and we spent a week there before driving home thru Canada down thru Vermont back to CT.
The Going to the Sun Highway is breath taking!  The mountains are different than any others I have seen.  It was where I saw my very first eagle in the wild, just sitting on a telephone pole like it was a blue jay, so casual.

I hope  more people would take a good old road trip thru our beautiful country.  I still remember the excitement of driving thru what others used to tackle on horseback and wagon.  It gave me a deeper appreciation of the courage to step out into the unknown for moths at a time.

Little did I know at the time I would go on to become the first woman, live on the ranch wrangler for Ponderosa Ranch and cover more that that in miles on the hour trail with a string of tourists behind me!  Life is too funny.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and for bringing back fond memories.

Tahoe Jo

We did get to Crazy Horse. They show a brief video now, detailing the ideas and genesis of the project, which started in 1948. The sculptor (Korczak Ziolkowski) worked by himself at the start, climbing rickety, old, hand built ladders up the rock walls while carrying hand tools and pneumatic drills. He had a very old hand start compressor that would break down often, which meant he had to climb all the way back down to restart it. An amazing story of perseverance...his children are working to finish it, but there is no schedule for completion due to limited funds.
Glacier national park was amazing. We traveled to different areas of the park each day and spent lots of time hiking as well as using the Going to the Sun road as our main thoroughfare to get from place to place. I'll get those pictures up soon.
Glad you were able to reminisce a bit!

"Rock ON & Keep the Faith"
  • gary
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  • From: Palatine Illinois by Chicago
  • Registered: 2006-08-25
  • Posts: 4,767

Re: The Badlands

Thanks for sharing Bill.I was there on a family vacation as a kid and remember it was awsome'

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  • From: Greater Chicagoland
  • Registered: 2012-04-21
  • Posts: 657

Re: The Badlands

Nice.  There's a lot more great stuff out that way, Bill.

As Horace Greely said "Go west, young man, go west".

I made a habit of it, a long time ago.  Zion and Bryce Canyon are not to be missed, when you hit Utah.

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