We were staying in Wall, South Dakota. In the morning we got out early to beat the heat and sun (it was going to be near 90 degrees) to see the sights of the Badlands. We took the loop tour through the Badlands National Park, stopping at numerous overlooks, hiking a few trails and checking out some interpretive areas. Very cool formations and great views in some areas! A lot of fossils are found at the park, mostly by the public, but we didn't find any.
Didn't see much in the way of wildlife. But we did see these Big Horn Sheep!
On our way out, the kids had to stop again at the Ranch Store to see the Prairie Dogs and we also stopped in to see the nuclear missile silo. This is the only one left in South Dakota, the others were imploded. The missile is still there, but it is not obviously armed. A Park Ranger told me that a Russian satellite goes over the site every 58 minutes to take a picture and verify that the missile is still decommissioned.
In the afternoon we relaxed some, and the kids swam in the outdoor pool....that was actually their favorite part of the day. We also went to downtown Wall to shop some more. The town is one of those weird tourist stops that feels so lonely....a few hotels, restaurants and stores plopped down in the middle of nowhere. People in, people out. But one thing about Wall Drug, is that they have signs in every state, nearly 3000! Plus they had pictures up of servicemen and women around the world with signs showing how far away they were from Wall Drug. Pretty cool.
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