DAY 10 started with me actually getting some real solid sleep. This was the quietest truck stop I have ever stayed in. We got a little later start than usual, but that didn’t really hold us back too much. We made it to the Badlands National Park by 9:15 AM. The visitor center had so much to offer which helped to understand all what laid ahead of us. The film shed light on why things where the way they were.

We saw so many new things and were able to get up close to some wildlife, bighorn sheep in particular. . Some people almost got a little too close. The pictures on the gallery page should say a lot. I am working on fixing the issue of how it is showing the images, but it is a little more involved and would cut too much into the itinerary. When I stop at a hotel in a few days I hope to at least add a link with an anchor so the day’s pictures will show up at the top of the page for ease of viewing. This is a work in progress, so I thank you in advance for working with me.

We spent most of the day in the Badlands, but made it to Wind Cave National Park before the last tours should have been going out. The elevator to the entry was broken, so no tours were going out and won’t be until possibly next month. The film was very informative, and although we weren’t able to take the cave tour, we were able to see lots of bison (aka American Buffalo).

We still had time to make it to Mount Rushmore National Memorial before it got too late. It is pretty incredible how much went into carving the mountain. Exhibits and plaques on the trail explain various aspects of the process. If I calculate correctly, it took about 5 years to complete.

We stayed for the lighting ceremony, so we didn’t get on the road again until close to 10 PM, so we didn’t get to our camping spot until nearly midnight. Let’s see what it looks like in the morning light.