Badlands continued

August 29, 2012:

Solo hike this AM for me, as Twinkles watched from the parking lot, I scrambled (almost) up the Saddle Pass trail, only 300 yards in length, but very steep and slippery footing.  It leads to the top of a butte with a fantastic view of the valley below on both sides !  Then we took another off trail hike a short distance away walking around the buttes following a dry creek bed.  

Then a road trip to the world famous Wall Drug store in Wall, SD.  I had the world famous hot roast beef sandwich, Twinkles had a burger and the famous 5 cent coffee.  The Wall Drug Store story tells how they became successful only after starting to give away free ice water to travelers.  So when we saw the much advertised ice cold water dispenser behind the store, we had to get some and it was disgustingly warm.  Lots of tourist shops and much interesting cowboy and Indian photos and memorabilia made it worthwhile.  

On the return trip, we entered the Badlands Park from the North entrance and took the Sage Creek Rim Road road.  We saw real authentic buffalo out on the range and the Roberts prairie dog town along with some pronghorn deer.  It's a gravel road with a corduroy surface which rattled us pretty hard, we turned around after about 7 miles.

Near record temperatures this week, 103 degrees yesterday, 106 today !  

We head out tomorrow for Rapid City, SD

It's really dry here

Not poisonous !

I followed this stream into the canyon

View along the Loop road

Buffalo on the range

They grow anywhere !

View from the Castle hiking trail

photo display at Wall Drug

Twinkles in good hiking form

Sunrise view from campground