By 10:30am we were heading through the Pinnacles entrance of the Badlands National Park. We spotted several bighorn sheep right away. Wildlife viewing is always so exciting!
We traveled along the Rim Road. We saw so many incredible rock formations! It's difficult to describe the landscape. We stopped at overlook after overlook, each one different and beautiful in its own way.
By the time we arrived at the Visitor Center we were ready for some lunch. The Visitor Center itself was a disappointment. First, there was a long line to enter due to Covid-19 restrictions. But once we realized that there were no exhibits inside, only a limited gift shop, we stepped out of that line. We took advantage of the water pipe there, refilling a couple of gallon water jugs, then ordered lunch from the nearby take-out restaurant. They were serving up delicious Indian tacos made with buffalo and beef. We added fries and a beer, then settled in the shade of a covered picnic table in plain view of some very dramatic layered rock formations for a satisfying and relaxing mid-day meal.
After lunch we continued westward on Highway 44, then turned onto Conata Road. It was along this road that we spotted a burrowing owl. Very exciting!
Adjacent to the rugged, rocky beauty of the Badlands, are the grassy buttes, the mesas, and the quiet, peaceful grasslands. The prairie wind was blowing over a sea of grass. We dubbed it America’s Serengeti ... our version of "endless plains". We saw plenty of pronghorn antelope and mule deer. Cue the music: "... where the deer and the antelope play."
We returned to camp about 5:00pm. A large flock of big horn sheep were grazing in the grasslands at the boondocking location. We pulled out the rocking chairs and enjoyed a refreshing drink while we waited for the nightly howl of the coyotes and the milky way to spill across the dark sky.
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